Monday, Jan 24, 2000
 The Child Is The Tutor
- Sandhya Acharya Sandhya, 21, lives in Thane, a suburb of Mumbai. She works with Siemens at Worli, which happens to be a long way from her home. The grind of a 6 hours daily commute to and from work do not deter her from finding time to pursue her other interests - reading, writing and music. She has studied German and is quite conversant with the language. She explains her view of life with - "My friends call me Dream Girl, not because I look like one (As you can see I am hardly a looker), but because I dream a lot. I believe that dreams sustain your today and build your tomorrow." As is evident, besides being talented Sandhya is also modest! |
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The sky was clear and the air was cool. The breeze wafted through the trees and caressed the leaves. Everything seemed just in proportion. The bliss of solitude warmed my heart and bought a smile on my lips. There is nothing as romantic as silence and nothing as revealing as silence. It is in silence that we absorb our surroundings yet not dissolve in them and allow our minds to acquaint ourselves. It is in silence that we let loose, dispossess our physical senses and let our thoughts travel unguided. I sat on the metal swing in the middle of the picturesque garden shaded so beautifully by the shadows of the trees. Nature has a way of flirting with the mind and I let myself go. The journey began; I was eloping with time. Every swing took me back into sweet memories of the past but I didn't delve on them. This time I was running far. The rhythm soon invaded me and all I heard was the swinging of the metal. I gently opened my eyes.
I saw a little cradle rocking, keeping time and in it slept the child. Ah! The child, the infant, the just born. Its arms were pink, it's skin soft and eyes closed. Presently it yawned and opened its eyes just a wee bit. I kneeled down beside the cradle and peered into its face. There is perhaps nothing as endearing a sight as watching a child. I let its small hands wrap my finger into a fist and watched its smile play on its lips. I felt time desert me and I felt no fear. :Teach me child, teach me", my mind seemed to sing. "Can we reverse the roles and let you be the tutor. I can tell you the grass is green, but what is green? I can tell you don't talk to strangers but who aren't strangers? I can teach you to speak a language but can you say all you feel with that? I can teach you values and ethics but I didn't make them child they told me too. I can teach you to listen and obey others but not your own self. I can solve the biggest mysteries tell you e=mc^2 what are integrated circuits and what is chloroform but what about the mystery of life? I have to teach you the rules child I cant help it is the rule. Everything in this world is defined even freedom is defined. All that is born perishes and everything ends. The pandas are endangered species, dinosaurs have disappeared but I can get you a stuffed one. The market is governed by forces of demand and supply and everything has a price. Yes everything has a price. Respect your elders; don't trouble dogs, come home straight from school. Say goodbye and good morning to your professors and always stand first in class. Success is good failure is bad thought not the end and all in a relative sense. I'll tell you your enemies and friends and whom you should talk to and not. I'll tell you which god to worship when and how and if you don't do it I'll be hurt. Don't stay out too late for parties and don't trust anyone too easily. Now I'll teach you how to be shrewd and smart and get your work done and remember everything has a price. It's ok to be a little selfish everyone is. Family always comes first and marriage is for life. Infidelity is bad."
"Don't cry baby, don't cry". It's the truth and you won't hate it too much when you do it. You are so innocent child. You turn your face away at the one you don't like and scratch his arms when he makes funny faces. You cry when you need food and when you want to sleep and there is always someone to comfort you. You trust your mother so completely and think the world to be in her arms. You express so completely, without any language your trust, your hunger, your fears, your needs. You play in total oblivion and your mind is empty of guilt. You are so simple and clear. You like colours, not the exhibitions at Sotheby's you like your mothers lullaby, not the greatest symphonies. You'd like to play with your simple toys, not cheer your country to win. You laugh when you are happy and cry when you are sad and don't have to hide any of your emotions for the world's sake. You don't know embarrassment; you don't know hypocrisy; you don't know jealousy- not yet. You are so much at peace and when you sleep you seem to know God.
"Teach me child, teach me". Teach me to sing, teach me to laugh, teach me to cry. Teach me to let them know you are hurt when they hurt me and teach me to let know I like them. Teach me to live, child, teach me to live.
I felt a familiar ticking: it was time. The cradle stopped swinging and I was back in the garden on the swing. I had to go back but I promised myself I would meet the child more often. The child is the tutor . Time seemed to smile in doubt
Till we Connect again next week...
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