He was her lil bro…

21st May 1992, a cherubic baby was sleeping placidly in a cot next to her mother. She was just five-year-old and ebullient at the arrival of her brother. That day, he looked like her miniature version.

He had a kiddo face like the cute kids who appear in the TV ads. It was after three years, when her mom had left him to her for an hour to look after. However, she rambled away, and due to her nonchalance and carelessness, he fell down from the cot. She was petrified on hearing the howls and ran back to his rescue. She received a well deserved flay from her mom that day.

As a child, she was no less skittish. She used to pull his leg and unwittingly run him down. He was the only one in the family who was younger to her, and hence the only one whom she could bully and patronize. They had got into the mode of cat-and-dog fight by the time he turned eight. Needless to say, she used to be the undisputed winner. They used to quibble over matters such as who gets the bigger slice of cake, the leg piece in chicken and the better looking ice-cream. At that time, she was taller to him, greater in size and strength, and so she used to bulldoze him out of my way.

There was one thing about him. He never showed any propensity towards studying or books. He was always riveted at the TV watching cartoons or holly-wood movies, or he would rather go out and play. But books were always his enemies. As a kid, he used to ask a lot of questions, he was sharp no doubt and had an eye for grasping things well. He loved to talk and make friends. Their mom and dad were initially worried to see his loathe for studying, but then he was just eight, and so they relied on the brink of hope that things would change.

Things didn’t change and he was 14. Taller than her by then. He started winning over her in clashes. Mom and dad had turned all the more worried about his marks. He was a paragon of a notorious back bencher and he could do anything to evade studying. Dad used to scold him a lot when he went awry. He then adopted the route to mendacity. He used to concoct so superbly casual that one could hardly distinguish. Lying had become his only resort to happiness.

To everyone’s surprise, he scored well in 10th and changed school. He had an excellent track record of extra curricular activites, oration and dramatics. Plus, he was outgoing. The new school - where he occasionally paid a visit. He used to leave from home for school, and then detour to meet his friends. He had become totally wayward. Their parents would not have got to know if the school teacher had not informed them about his misdemeanor and poor attendance.

Things had gone totally overboard. He had become so thick-skinned that no amount of criticism could bring him to track. Dad told him that he should either choose staying at home and study, or go out with his friends. He didn’t take a second to decide and just left home.
And never came back…

Confessions of an unemployed!

It galls me
that I am one of those 10.7%
of India’s employable population
who celebrate a holiday
day after day.

It appalls me.
That only after being indoors
Did I smarten up my life
From a narrow to a broad way
And my fears did allay
Dwindled away.

It enthralls me
when at times I think
There is a journey to begin.
Where I will keep high my chin
A voice comes from within
A man who has no office to go
Is not always wearing away

The hardest work in the world
is being out of work
And to have the pluck
To wait for your luck
Hints to the success that lay.

All, it’s me
I am not listless,
I ain’t no dumb,
Coz it crawls in me,
The desire to dream,
So I won’t decay.

I started so I’ll finish,
Before I perish
I do promise
I will thank this period of lull
Where the sun is not shining
yet still I make hay.

Years later,
when I reach the summit,
I will reminisce these days
And proudly say
"Can I have an action replay?"

And it controls me!

Cheeky Killers!

I was appalled to hear about this ghastly incident, with all due respect to the little victim, who suffered under the wrath of lunatic killers!

A five-year-old girl was molested by her two brothers, 12 and 14 year old. At first, she had failed to understand the act of debauchery, but when she could slightly make out; she screamed and warned them that she would complain to her mother. The boys got petrified, and then followed a sordid killing of the poor girl child.

Next that happened cannot be anybody’s guess! Call it insanely nonsensical or just plain FIFA hangover!

Football!

The cheeky killers played football as if nothing happened. According to them, it was a very smart way to elude getting caught by their mother.

I could relate another similar incident, where a 10-year-old girl washed her 3-year-old brother in a washing machine, with the notion that it would cleanse his dark complexion. Of course, what followed was a squeamish sight in a soup of blood!

Child murder cases are rampant. But who is culpable?!
Their parents? or the more than tremendous exposure to media which hampers the minors so much that they try and actuate everything that they see, hear or feel, if expedient to do so?