The sun beats down on the tar road, heating it, steaming it.
On a narrow lane devoid of shade, tiny plants scraggle through cracks in the tar. One plant has sprouted a bright yellow flower. It should be a surprise to any onlooker, but… who looks? Multiple tiny surprises spring up under our feet and we, busy, bustling human beings, do we even look?
A red bus with three school children storms into the lane. Barely two minutes into the lane, it stops in front of the gate of an apartment complex. A woman stands before the gate. She has worn a tired blue saree, covering her head with the pallu. One of the children alights from the bus. The woman smiles at her, as she always does, warming at the sight of her daughter. Her daughter’s her hair is astray, there’s a mark… a line… a bloodied line on her forehead.
The little girl sees her mother’s smile, her face is mutinous.
Pari! Your forehead! What happened?
Pari shakes her head, her chin trembles but she says nothing.
Pari’s world…
Amma is stupid! She can’t see or what? Blood came in my head, means someone hurted me, no? Then why ask?
Today, in school, only Miss was nice. She gave Khushi punishment. Namrata and Shivani also, because they were going on saying bad, bad for me.
I also told, when you call other people bad, you only become bad.
And then, during poetry no, today, one crow came to our class and started calling all its friends. Miss made it go away.
No one was talking to me, you know? I also didn’t talk to anyone. My head was hurting a little, but I also hurt Vishakha no? So I’m only bad. I shouldn’t have made her fall down. This is my punishment. If someone does bad things then Daddy also punishes, no? See? I’m a good girl only.
Lunch time came. Amma sent me idli, I like idli. Simon came near my table, he saw but he didn’t take. That time Anita came, she sat with me. So I thought she became my friend. Then suddenly she said, actually, you’re bad only, I’m just being your lie-friend
I acted like I knew from before, because everyone was laughing at me, that she was my lie-friend and I thought she was my real friend
Everyone means, you know, Dharini, Anita and Shanti
So what if no one wants to be my friend? Crow is my friend. Sun is my friend. God is also my friend only.
When I reached home with Amma, Daddy was there. Bhaiyya and Didi were not at home.
Daddy came from hospital on Saturday. For one day, he was sleeping all the time. So Bhaiyya was making fun
See, Amma’s getting angry. Why is he sleeping all the time?
Then he got up, and Daddy was shouting and shouting. Amma was getting angry. Bhaiyya was making fun for that also
See, NOW Amma’s getting angry, There! Now he’ll keep on shouting. Why he woke up?
Hee-hee
We were all having fun, Didi, Bhaiyya and me, we were all laughing
Now also he’s at home only. He’s cutting vegetables. Amma went to the kitchen, I was keeping my bag and shoes
Daddy smiled. He asked me: Do you love your Daddy?
I said yes.
Amma brought a glass of cold milk, pink colour from the kitchen, She’s just come, let her settle, Amma was saying.
Daddy: Ooh, right! I don’t have any rights in this house
I looked at the milk, Wow, it’s smelling so nice, and no aadai. I felt little happy.
I’ll go down and play in my swing. That time I’ll become more happy
When children have a harrowing day at school, someone, anyone, should be able to sit with them, let them talk about how their day has been. Expression allows feelings to settle.
But, sometimes, the family is the last place where the child finds scope to settle
Pari knows what helps her, though - the swing
PS: the ease with which she accepts the ‘punishment’ that has been meted out to her
My book of short stories, The Violent Potter, is available on Amazon. The book is intended for an audience of parents, teachers and grandparents of young children
Link: http://tinyurl.com/466tvf5f
Each story highlights the gap between adult expectations and child perspective. The book is in two parts, Part 1 sees the impact of the gap while Part 2 sees what happens when someone fills the gap with loving perspective.
My vlog is updated every Friday: https://www.youtube.com/@violentpotter/videos