Taking you back 25 years to my hometown, Kottayam
Exam time for me
The day starts quite early with some last hours of mugging up and then a cold bath. Then taking the pen with me, I would run off to the temple to offer my prayers. The last important step in getting good marks, I believed then and with conviction. The pen would be given for pooja and holding it reverently I would trek off to school.
Fast forward to this era
My daughter’s exams
I suggested this age old technique of mine and though K (my elder one who is 11 years old) expressed disdain, I saw her taking a small picture of the God and tucking it into her pencil box. I keep mum. Two exams later, I saw her keep it back. The next exam was Hindi, her toughest one and I saw her struggling with it, with just a few pushes and doubt clearing from both of us. But after the exams she came back happy, saying she has done it well.
Her reasoning to this, “I took God’s picture with me for the first two exams and I didn’t do the papers well, I kept God back and then the exams were easier.”
I explained, “God makes sure that what you remember what you studied. That is just 10 % of the total. How you fare depends ultimately on your hard work. You put in more work on the last exams and so naturally you did well. Hard work constitutes the 90 %.”
She listened, but she refuses to take the picture along with her…
I am sure she has her reasons, and the next time I insist she would even come with rejoinders, like, ‘You have said earlier, God is always with us’.
So I just let her be, I conclude that I was naïve at her age, I clung on to age-old beliefs, though it hasn’t done me any harm…it has only helped, maybe at least that 10 % bit.
And I don’t think I have changed much, even if I still believe work is worship, I don’t forget to think of God before I do anything important…and I am sure all this will rub off on K too.
10 comments:
Sindhu, With time all of us change but still we are basically the same. Didn't our parents complain that we were different back then? Their parents complained about them too.
We always tend to compare us with our children, our yardsticks are different. Not fair for them. :)
Sindhu,what matters is K forms her own ideologies and principles.You can certainly guide her to form them the right way but ultimately its her choice how she wants to perceive things,isnt it?
As you rightly feel let her be.K will surely grow up to be a sensible girl.
thanks, guys...and Deeps I have started with the tag...
I think somewhere is our minds we all have our small logics. the belief is all there....just the way is different :)
The times have changed:) we heard everything our parents said..some out of fear and some out of obedience, but today's children try logic everywhere:)
How true.some of the logic they come up with stuns me,Renu.And yes, A it is not as if they are aethists but they just have different ways to portray their belief.
:)
Nopes, havent stopped reading...just running out of breath with so much to do...:) But thank you for reminding me, and please continue to do so, if you think I have been lax :) :)
Yes, this is one scene that is changing, more so perhaps out of Kerala. Here, we still have those quaint notions and beliefs, and those I am sure are encouraged too.
And you are doing the right thing in my opinion. Just let it take its course. One fine day, she will come to you and tell you and that she remembered what you had said that day :)
Bless both of them, and you, and yours :)
this is very individual... whether to show belief, if at all how much to show... in the end, it is her call... so it is best to let her be, as you've done...
But what if there is no god? What if k figures that in a few years and questions you for forcing some illusion named god on her? :)
Roop, yes, even that is a possiblity that I have to be ready to face...
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