Someday, Some place

***Work shift mostly gets over by midnight. Be it a new order the company’s got or some extra favors being pulled in by influential clients to get the job done faster, he used to be out. In the mornings he wakes his two kids up and gets them ready for school. But not tonight. He must get the extra money.

For Babu his work at the construction company was as laborious as it can get. Breaking rocks in the hot sun is not fun. He never was that good at arithmetic in school. Algebra and English also did not come to him as naturally as it did to pretty much everyone else. Not that he didn’t try to study but it just never worked out. He dropped out of school because his father couldn’t afford it. He never knew his mother. He promised himself that he will come up in life and come home every day to his son and daughter.

***It was getting late. The rickshaw walla was an impatient chap. Babu’s kids were making him late today. He never quite had a problem with Babu’s kids. In fact he was close with Babu, since they went to school together. Or at least as long as they went to it. Babu’s kids were always on time, timid and kept to themselves. But they were smart and came first in class. His daughter and Babu’s son were in the same class. She told him about how intelligent Babu’s son was. Babu’s daughter was a year younger but equally sharp. He turned and saw his already overflowing rickshaw.

He justified to everyone who complained. Life must go on. Speaking of which, it’s about time he dropped the kids off at the school. One day won’t matter if they don’t come.


(As the rickshaw began to move)

***“Aiyoo. Today is the last day to pay money for the field trip and today Lakshman and Sita are both absent,” thought Devi, the rickshaw walla’s daughter. They had told they will ask their father for the money yesterday. But what if he had said no. is that why they did not come today? Now with whom will I have lunch today with?

***The class teacher of the 5^th grade class in the corporation school was a perfect example of how NOT a teacher should be. As the correspondent and ambassador of perhaps the most respected profession in the world, a teacher must instill the very basic values of human behavior in a modern organization and society in the children. More than a parent, a teacher must be a role model. But informing children to bring extra cash for their field trip and using it for his own purposes was not what one may call as a responsible adult let alone cultured and civilized.

“A low salary in a government job does not help. Why should someone care about money when you can’t use it? May be I can have some side business and earn extra cash. No, who will go and do work. Not a bad collection from this field trip money. Will it last for 4 days or only 3? May be I will have extra side dish tonight.”

(The previous evening)

***“When appa comes, will you ask him for money anna?”

It was 6.45 and with the fading sunlight and the daily power cut, the kids always had an eerie and weird feeling that someone was watching. Their father had told them it was their mother, but they were confused. They never saw her in the house.

Lakshman looked at his sister. She had not gone for the field trip last year because she had fallen ill. Appa got her a new dress because he felt bad that she couldn’t go. His father was always home when they were at home. In the morning he used to even pack lunch for them. In the nights he comes and gives a kiss on the forehead before he goes to sleep. He was yet to tell Devi but he had decided that he was not going ask appa for money.

“Anna, tell anna. Will you ask him sureeeeeeely by today?”

One look and your heart would break. Lakshman begins to cry. He doesn’t know how to explain it to her. Devi wipes off his tears as her eyes begin to fill with tears too.

“Anna please don’t cry. We will go next year. You also don’t ask appa and I also won’t ask appa.”

In this painful moment, wisdom beyond years shone in the eyes of these kids. Child is the father of man.

(The next day early morning)

***At the news station everyone is panicking. The female anchor was running late. The male anchor is still in the make-up room. One of the lighting sets was not working. There was still no weather report to read, the papers are misplaced. In the tension and heat, someone switches on the fan. Papers everywhere. T minus 15 minutes to air time.

15 minutes later, lights on, focus on anchorman. Studio back to normal.

“Vanakam, indraiya mukkiya chaidhigal.

India-Pakistan peace talks dates have been fixed. Prime minister flies to Islamabad next week. BJP claims in advance that the talks will not have caused any significant change but a probable raise in petrol prices soon.

In a recent shoot out at a remote sea shore 5kms north of Chennai City, coast guards have seized fire arms worth 2crore. Three unidentified men were shot dead. A Samaritan, Babu, who is said to have tipped the police on this exchange, was found dead on the shore along with the three smugglers.

In other regional news, the samatchir kalvi has been……

Epilogue:

Lakshman and Sita never once complained to God to have taken away his prophets away from them. Devi had mentioned in school some days that her dad had told his dad about the field trip and the amount. To Babu’s children, their father had died for the country, and they were proud of their father, just as how every Indian should be. Life is not worth living without money, but someday, some place, there always is something that matters more than all the money in this world.