TAINTED CHILDHOOD

Two class 8 students shot dead their classmate, with a revolver. Like many others I was shocked and then felt lucky; I finished my schooling years before when schools were not so murky-unsafe places. Kids are stabbing, shooting, conspiring against each other. In a moment I imagined a school like some horrible place. It’s really very difficult to guess what’s going on in a child’s mind. Why they have become so intolerant, short- tempered, why there’s been no compassion, no friendship or empathy? Has the time changed so much? I am still to come to terms with it.

I had a very happy childhood, I am very proud to say that. Unlike these days, there was no cut-throat competition. Competition was there, a healthy one, we all helped each other. I never reached school on the beginning day, always 10-15 days late. Then I used to distribute my notebooks to my classmates and they used to scribble notes which I had missed (later on I did same thing for my sister). I remember our math’s teacher was very strict (from a child’s point of view, he was “cruel”). We used to reach school 30min before the time and help those in math’s who didn’t finished homework, so that no one gets punished. An English teacher (she was most popular in the school) she used to tell us stories every weekend, provided we’ll finish our homework on time, I was in 3^rd standard that time. I got to see her again after 9-10 years and she almost ran in to tears, we both. Do kids these days have such type of relationship with their teachers? Like any other kid we too have all sorts of fighting, bullying, teasing but nothing personal, if someone was hurt somehow whole day was spent in reconciliation. I never felt like missing school it was so much fun, in fact I was irritable when I had to stay at home for some reason. Now when I see around, schools are not- so- liked places. Most of the kids don’t go school; they are forced to go there.

What is it that’s developing such intolerance? Something must be seriously wrong with the atmosphere we provide our kids. Are not parents putting them under extreme pressure by expecting them to be on the top of each and everything every time? Is this cut-throat competition sucking their innocence, killing the child inside them? May be because they are most of the time hooked to computer and computer-games, they don’t know how to socialize, there’s no concern for other person and they don’t respect anyone else’s view. It has become “I, me, myself” type of life. It may be because parents are not giving enough time to their child, thinking money can compensate for their absence. Weapons like revolvers, mousers, are kept open in homes; a 12 year old can take them to school to shoot his classmate. Whose fault it is?

 Parents fulfill all demands of the kids, reasonable or unreasonable without teaching them that everything comes with a price, as a result kids these days cant take “no” for an answer. May be this feeling of possessing each and everything provokes them to go up to any length. We expect them to bring home excellent grades forgetting that being a good human being is the first requisite for doing anything excellent.

 What Kunwar “bachain” wrote seems so appropriate:

Phool ko khaar banane pe tuli hai duniyaan,

Sabko angaar banane pe tuli hai duniyaan.

Mein mahakti huyi mitti hoon kissi aangan ki

Mujhko deewaar banane pe tuli hai duniyaan.

Bhole bachchoon se cheen ke bholapan

Unko hoshiyaar banane pe tuli hai duniyaa