Nasir comes back home thinking how he must teach the value of money and also of time to his brother-Nadir. It is not exactly his first attempt to do that.
"Today I shall speak to him. I am his only brother. Then who else will teach him, if not me? I am not worried about the money. Money is nothing when it's compared to Nadir. I hate money, but I'll save it for its vileness. Otherwise, I knew how it would strangle the poor lives and empty stomachs. In the days, when I was not financially as comfortable as I am now, I lost the money I saved for Nadir's Ist semester examination fee. Then I felt like, some unknown force, possibly the power of money punched me in the stomach. I scolded myself for a month and suffered badly for my recklessness. I could have asked Abba, but that wouldn't be gentlemanly because I already promised Abba that I would take care of Nadir from the day I start earning. I borrowed the money from my colleague and paid him back in the next month. But after that, I tried to avoid him and always felt ashamed of talking to him. My only concern is Nadir shall not feel these bad things and yet he shall learn how the world works in the easiest way possible...."
Contemplating thus, Nasir rings the door bell. A minute later, Nadir opens the door carefully tucking his mobile between his left ear and the left shoulder. After wishing Nasir with a smile, he goes on talking to his friends planning his weekend schedule.
Nasir, after he gets refreshed sets out for the kitchen, picking up some brinjals, onions and some mirchi which is almost dry from the basket stand in the corner and is constantly thinking of how to start the talk. Nadir hangs up the phone finalising the meeting place be Runway-9.
Nasir after cleaning the brinjals, keeps one under the knife of the vegetable cutter.
Runway-9? Isn't that a place for rich brats to beat their doldrums?
He cuts the green stem at its head.
I shall tell him that I cannot afford to spend money on these luxuries. Even if I can, I'm not willing to.
Two careful cuts to make it in four.
It would be too harsh to say things like that. These young people are too sensitive when they are taught sense.
He holds all the four pieces together, to cut them across. The first cut.
But What if he laughs at me calling me a counting machine?
Nadir shouts into the kitchen, "Bhaiyya, less chilli, last time it was too hot.. Do you need any help?"
Whatever, I shall tell him today. OK. I'll tell him as gently as possible. But why am I afraid to speak to my own brother?
Antoher cut and the knife goes over his ring finger letting the way for the blood that eagerly streams out and he cries an Ouch! Nadir goes into kitchen in a jump and runs here and there for cotton, when he finds his brother's finger is cut. He goes on like that till he finds it, not even listening to his brother who is actually telling him where it is. He wipes off the blood that is already out and uses it as stopper for his brother to hold. He takes over the kitchen for the day and orders Nasir to relax.
Nasir relaxes himself stretching his body on the bed that laid on the floor.
Nadir loves me as dearly as I love him. I am happy, my finger is cut. Actually I can cut it everyday, if such a love will be expressed by him. He is the sweetest kid I've seen. Haven't you seen how he was running -like crazy when he saw the blood? And here I am, counting every penny he spends and ready to lecture him at every opportunity. He is very young to understand this. He still needs time. On Sundays of our childhood, after lunch, we had to sit in the veranda and study for an hour before we were allowed to play. We had to keep watch for each other while my parents would take a nap inside. On a Sunday like that, Nadir just stopped reading and started looking into the air. To keep my watch, I asked him what he was doing. I am sure nobody can guess what he said. He said he can see something in the air. Later he corrected that he can see and distinguish hydrogen from oxygen if only he was a bit more attentive while taking his chemistry lessons. He said he can see some Ameba-like random structures sometimes merging with and sometimes breaking off from the other similar structures. First I didn't believe him. As he persuaded me to try myself, I tried but couldn't find anything. Now I believe him, he might have had really seen all that he described. He couldn't have lied to me. Based on this, can't he ... he who can see the things in the general crowd's nothingness, learn these lessons of life quickly? Do I really still need to teach him everything like sciences and mathematics? May be it is needed because I shall not always stick to pleasing and spoiling him. My only wish is in his being the best of the world with as less hardships as possible. May be I shall excuse this time and postpone this talk for some other time. Or may be I could do it only now.. otherwise I would keep finding excuses to avoid this dreadful talk...
Nasir eats, sleeps and wakes up with the same thought 'whether to talk or not to talk' for two days and suffers from a fever. Nadir gets surprised trying to relate the finger-cut and the fever..
"Today I shall speak to him. I am his only brother. Then who else will teach him, if not me? I am not worried about the money. Money is nothing when it's compared to Nadir. I hate money, but I'll save it for its vileness. Otherwise, I knew how it would strangle the poor lives and empty stomachs. In the days, when I was not financially as comfortable as I am now, I lost the money I saved for Nadir's Ist semester examination fee. Then I felt like, some unknown force, possibly the power of money punched me in the stomach. I scolded myself for a month and suffered badly for my recklessness. I could have asked Abba, but that wouldn't be gentlemanly because I already promised Abba that I would take care of Nadir from the day I start earning. I borrowed the money from my colleague and paid him back in the next month. But after that, I tried to avoid him and always felt ashamed of talking to him. My only concern is Nadir shall not feel these bad things and yet he shall learn how the world works in the easiest way possible...."
Contemplating thus, Nasir rings the door bell. A minute later, Nadir opens the door carefully tucking his mobile between his left ear and the left shoulder. After wishing Nasir with a smile, he goes on talking to his friends planning his weekend schedule.
Nasir, after he gets refreshed sets out for the kitchen, picking up some brinjals, onions and some mirchi which is almost dry from the basket stand in the corner and is constantly thinking of how to start the talk. Nadir hangs up the phone finalising the meeting place be Runway-9.
Nasir after cleaning the brinjals, keeps one under the knife of the vegetable cutter.
Runway-9? Isn't that a place for rich brats to beat their doldrums?
He cuts the green stem at its head.
I shall tell him that I cannot afford to spend money on these luxuries. Even if I can, I'm not willing to.
Two careful cuts to make it in four.
It would be too harsh to say things like that. These young people are too sensitive when they are taught sense.
He holds all the four pieces together, to cut them across. The first cut.
But What if he laughs at me calling me a counting machine?
Nadir shouts into the kitchen, "Bhaiyya, less chilli, last time it was too hot.. Do you need any help?"
Whatever, I shall tell him today. OK. I'll tell him as gently as possible. But why am I afraid to speak to my own brother?
Antoher cut and the knife goes over his ring finger letting the way for the blood that eagerly streams out and he cries an Ouch! Nadir goes into kitchen in a jump and runs here and there for cotton, when he finds his brother's finger is cut. He goes on like that till he finds it, not even listening to his brother who is actually telling him where it is. He wipes off the blood that is already out and uses it as stopper for his brother to hold. He takes over the kitchen for the day and orders Nasir to relax.
Nasir relaxes himself stretching his body on the bed that laid on the floor.
Nadir loves me as dearly as I love him. I am happy, my finger is cut. Actually I can cut it everyday, if such a love will be expressed by him. He is the sweetest kid I've seen. Haven't you seen how he was running -like crazy when he saw the blood? And here I am, counting every penny he spends and ready to lecture him at every opportunity. He is very young to understand this. He still needs time. On Sundays of our childhood, after lunch, we had to sit in the veranda and study for an hour before we were allowed to play. We had to keep watch for each other while my parents would take a nap inside. On a Sunday like that, Nadir just stopped reading and started looking into the air. To keep my watch, I asked him what he was doing. I am sure nobody can guess what he said. He said he can see something in the air. Later he corrected that he can see and distinguish hydrogen from oxygen if only he was a bit more attentive while taking his chemistry lessons. He said he can see some Ameba-like random structures sometimes merging with and sometimes breaking off from the other similar structures. First I didn't believe him. As he persuaded me to try myself, I tried but couldn't find anything. Now I believe him, he might have had really seen all that he described. He couldn't have lied to me. Based on this, can't he ... he who can see the things in the general crowd's nothingness, learn these lessons of life quickly? Do I really still need to teach him everything like sciences and mathematics? May be it is needed because I shall not always stick to pleasing and spoiling him. My only wish is in his being the best of the world with as less hardships as possible. May be I shall excuse this time and postpone this talk for some other time. Or may be I could do it only now.. otherwise I would keep finding excuses to avoid this dreadful talk...
Nasir eats, sleeps and wakes up with the same thought 'whether to talk or not to talk' for two days and suffers from a fever. Nadir gets surprised trying to relate the finger-cut and the fever..
1 comment:
Do u have a sibling ? Is this post autobiographical ?
Your post hits at the heart of the issue most 'rational' elder siblings face. Should we tell them how to go about life? If we do so, arent we influencing them? Would we like being influenced ? Even if it is our own parents doing the influencing? If we dont, is it right to do the same to our younger bro/sis ?
But then if we dont tell them, who will ? Dont we feel that "their" generation is losing out on a lot of values? If that is right, have we lost a lot of values compared to our parents ?
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