Sudden insight

It was the summer of 8217;69. My newly-wed parents were on a train, having shifted from Punjab to Delhi. On the opposite berth sat a family of four: a couple and their two kids

It was the summer of 8217;69. My newly-wed parents were on a train, having shifted from Punjab to Delhi. On the opposite berth sat a family of four: a couple and their two kids 8212; a sweet little girl of six and a teenage son who kept staring at mother with a weird smile. When his stare got uncomfortable, mother decided to confront the boy with an interrogative hand gesture signifying, 8220;What8217;s so funny?8221; To her dismay, the boy8217;s stare only got more intense.

However, mother8217;s gesture didn8217;t go unnoticed. The boy8217;s sister alerted her mother to it. The mother explained, 8220;He8217;s not looking at you. You see he has a vision defect.8221; The boy suddenly tilted his head on hearing his mother8217;s words and lowered his eyes.

Before my mother could react, the man sitting on the upper berth intervened in a manner typical of many Indians who consider it their birthright to provide explanations, 8220;Oh, he has a 8216;looking at London and talking to Tokyo8217; type of problem.8221; Amidst the giggles his remark prompted from some, it dawned on mother that the boy had a squint.

His parents looked uncomfortable. While the boy continued to look down, expressionless, his mother glared at the man on the upper berth and remarked to mother, 8220;If he had been blind, these people would have been compassionate. But thanks to his 8216;funny disability8217;, he will only be ridiculed. And he has dreams of doing something big, 8216;reaching for the stars8217;8221;. Mother8217;s face was ashen with guilt.

The atmosphere in the compartment had turned quite leaden now. Suddenly the boy spoke up, 8220;Please don8217;t feel bad about what mom said. I find myself having an advantage. If I want, I can look at the answer sheet of the fellow next to me and no one would know!8221; He added cheerfully, 8220;Haven8217;t felt the need to do that though.8221; His father butted in, 8220;He is an exemplary student.8221;

By then the atmosphere had lightened up. 8220;And just to explain why I was smiling earlier,8221; the boy went on, pointing to the unfinished crossword on father8217;s lap, 8220;The eight-letter noun for 8216;a situation with lack of variety8217; would be 8216;monotony8217;, not 8216;marriage8217;!8221; Everyone, including father, burst into laughter. Mother turned misty-eyed at the spirit of the boy. She told his mother, 8220;You know something, your son should not even try to reach for the stars. He is one!8221;