I wish they spoke

Daughters are like flowers, they fill the world with beauty, and sometimes attract pests.

And pests there are plenty in the society. I am myself a mother of two girls and what’s going on in the society really bothers me .Not long ago we heard and saw splashed all over the newspapers and television channels a certain Radhika Tanwar who was killed by her jilted lover. What is implausible to my mind is that her parents had no inkling that such a person existed in her life.

Recently I heard of a well brought up girl who chose to swallow 30 sleeping pills (just like that) over a squabble with her boyfriend instead of seeking advise /counseling from her parents.

I mean fair enough its their life and all that; but what have the parents done? Aren’t they entitled to be privy to such a big decision in their daughter’s life?

It’s not about raising and rearing a child but also about feeling deceived when the child chooses to take her life or in Radhika’s case lives dangerously with a violent lover instead of informing their parents.

I am not sure if the dynamics of social fabric or rather parent child relationship has changed so drastically or is it their lack of confidence in themselves and their parents that leads them to take such drastic steps over something so trivial.

Orphan is a word that describes a child who loses his parents but there is apparently no word for a parent who loses his/her child.

In most cases, suicide is a solitary event and yet it has often far-reaching repercussions for many others. It is rather like throwing a stone into a pond; the ripples spread and spread.

Think about it!

Encounter with a rickshaw driver in Pune

Rajkumar Mahadev Gejage

The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes. ~William James

This philosophy was reinforced today on meeting this affable rickshawwallah.

It’s rare to meet good rickshawwallahs particularly in Pune .But I was in for a surprise this evening when after haggling with perfectly idle rickshawwallahs, I chanced upon my new friend Rajkumar.

Barely minutes after we boarded his rickshaw, he broke the ice by asking the meaning of word Honesty and after we told him in Marathi what it meant, he told us about his colossal desire to learn English language and how he has been trying to learn it on his own for past one year. Though he was by no means an erudite person his earnestness won us over.

What started as a mundane commute after a harrowing experience with his lunatic fringe became the most memorable travel.

He entertained us with his self learnt English phrases and also recounted tales of some of his benevolent passengers who were clearly impressed by his will to learn a foreign language, without any proper formal education, and gave him Wren and Martin to improve his English speaking skills.

Those who know me well know my love for English language and clearly he had won me over. He keeps a notebook in which he notes down commonly used English sentences like” I take care of my passengers”,” We are close to your destination” etc.He is 25 with two kids and a mundane job in the eyes of most people but with an amazing attitude and zeal and I am certain that he will one day succeed in not only learning English but also in getting a better job. There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative and Rajkumar’s is definitely a positive one.

P.S.You can contact this guy if you want to help him at 9890008810 or 9850353508.