Two Minutes of Freedom

The pole was standing in the middle of that ground, the ground which belonged to the open space where money was exchanged for food and the food which filled the bellies of people who already had their bellies inflated and coming between their hearts and feet. He was stationed in that area to fill up the empty glasses of those big bellies. He ran around with jugs full of a liquid necessary for human existence. So in essence his existence was necessary for human existence or rather I should say his work was necessary for human existence. But whose existence, those who already had their bellies of the size of big round bongos, those who already existed in the world. 

Perplexed by this question of existence she was wondering on the who is whose reason of existence, when she suddenly came to my senses on hearing "Madam, paani." He was standing in front of her with a jug in his hand. She smiled and nodded in return. He put some water into the glass and turned to go back to his station. His steps were as usual fast yet steady. But while going back he took a small detour. He caught hold of that alone standing pole in the middle of that ground and took two full 360 deg circles around it. And then went back to his usual track. He did this twice while she was there munching on those hot paneer paranthas.

Her eyes were set on that pole now. Well not all the time, but whenever she got a chance to look at the pole she did. Now she wanted to see his face, while he was in contact of that pole and in full swing taking or making those rounds. It seemed he was enjoying those circles. It was as if he was running for those rounds, those circles only, the job of giving water just the job, not him. He was more than that. And in that space he was those circles around that pole and that pole the symbol of his two minutes of freedom. 

She went back to the same place for food after two weeks. The pole in the middle of that open space, was also now in the middle of a round table. The pole was also sun-protected by a plastic umbrella fixed at the top. "And he, where is he?" she thought. Her eyes looked around for that young boy, but couldn't find him. She went to the counter, inside the round concrete building where that space's owner sat. She was going to ask the owner, when she heard that tapping sound. It came from the corner where utensils were being washed.
She didn't pay much heed to it and went ahead asking the owner "Bhaiya, woh ladka jo paani dalta tha kahan gaya." He smilingly greeted her and replied "Madam, woh raha." pointing towards the same area from where that tap came.
He was there, busy in washing utensils. That tap sound again came in some time. Before she could ask anything, the owner himself said "Ye yahin thik hai, baahar customers ke saamne sambhaalna mushkil ho jaata hai. Oye aavaaz mat kar." The sound stopped for some time. She stood there thinking about something. Owner asked "Madam, aapka order?" She was going to say when the same tap resonated again in her ears. She started smiling and said "Nahin bhaiya, ab yahan ka paani mujhe suit nahin karta."

Udaan: A good Movie

Watched Udaan yesterday. Many people recommended it so at last watched it. A good movie on a subject rarely touched. Not much focus have been given either in the Indian popular cinema or in the alternate/art cinema to the subject of disturbed childhood, authoritarian parent (mostly father) when that is the reality in many cities, towns and villages of India especially in the middle classes.

I understood one more thing, that is parents don't know parenting beforehand, nobody teaches them. And may be it cannot be taught also. But I think some guidelines can be or are given nowadays. The specialists who work in the field of child care or the experienced parents might give more accurate information on this, not me. What all I can say is that the parents too learn parenting on the go i.e. when they have a child with them. And the important point when someone (including myself) learns something on the go is that you are bound to make mistakes. And here the mistakes are not affecting you only, they are affecting the child also that too may be for a lifetime, who knows. As one of the dialogues says in the movie

"ज़िन्दगी भर के लिए घाव दे दो पीठ पर, डरा दो बच्चे को, फिर माफ़ी  मांग लो..."

The situation presented in the movie might seem to be an extreme one, but going by the official ministry report (here) two out of every three children suffer one or another form of physical abuse (burning, hitting, punching, shaking, kicking, beating or otherwise harming a child) and this is mostly done by the parents or the care taker of the child (both intentionally or unintentionally done). Though the list seems too strict for classifying something as physical abuse, but sometimes these small-small incidents leave a mark on the child for a long time and that's why it becomes so important to define it so strictly. But defining it like this might not be of much use as the incidents happen inside the homes where the children are very vulnerable and when it is done by the parents nobody is there to stand with them, except the state i.e. the government. This too happens in case the incident is reported which happens very rarely.

Coming back to the movie, it is a good movie. The actors (both young and adult) and the director have done a good job. Do watch it if not already.