The Promise....
some more gems from my mails............
"The Promise"
'How long will you be poring over that newspaper? Will you come here
right away and make your darling daughter eat her food?' It was my wife.
I tossed the paper away and rushed to the scene. My only daughter Sindu
looked frightened. Tears were welling up in her eyes. In front of her
was a bowl filled to its brim with Curd Rice.
Sindu is a nice child, quite intelligent for her age. She has just
turned eight. She particularly detested Curd Rice. My mother and my wife
are orthodox, and believe firmly in the 'cooling effects' of Curd Rice!
I cleared my throat, and picked up the bowl. "Sindu, darling, why don't
you take a few mouthful of this Curd Rice? Just for Dad's sake, dear
And, if you don't, your Mom will shout at me'
I could sense my wife's scowl behind my back. Sindu softened a bit, and
wiped her tears with the back of her hands. 'OK, Dad. I will eat – not
just a few mouthfuls, but the whole lot of this. But, you should...'
Sindu hesitated.
'Dad, if I eat this entire Curd Rice, will you give me whatever I ask
for?'
'Oh sure, darling'.
'Promise?'
'Promise'. I covered the pink soft hand extended by my daughter with
mine, and clinched the deal.
'Ask Mom also to give a similar promise', my daughter insisted. My wife
slapped her hand on Sindu's, muttering 'Promise', without any emotion.
Now I became a bit anxious. 'Sindumma, you shouldn't insist on getting a
computer or any such expensive items. Dad does not have that kind of
money right now. OK?'
'No, Dad. I do not want anything expensive'. Slowly and painfully, she
finished eating the whole quantity. I was silently angry with my wife
and my mother for forcing my child eat something that she detested.
After the ordeal was through, Sindu came to me with her eyes wide with
expectation. All our attention was on her. 'Dad, I want to have my head
shaved off, this Sunday!' was her demand!
'Atrocious!' shouted my wife, 'a girl child having her head shaved off?
Impossible!'.
'Never in our family!' my mother rasped. 'She has been watching too much
of television. Our culture is getting totally spoiled with these TV
programs!'
'Sindumma, why don't you ask for something else? We will be sad seeing
you with a clean-shaven head.'
'No, Dad. I do not want anything else', Sindu said with finality.
'Please, Sindu, why don't you try to understand our feelings?' I tried
to plead with her.
'Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat that Curd Rice'. Sindu
was in tears. 'And you promised to grant me whatever I ask for.. Now, you
are going back on your words. Was it not you who told me the story of
King Harishchandra, and its moral that we should honor our promises no
matter what?'
It was time for me to call the shots. 'Our promise must be kept.'
'Are you out your mind?' chorused my mother and wife.
'No. If we go back on our promises, she will never learn to honor her
own. Sindu, your wish will be fulfilled.'
With her head clean-shaven, Sindu had a round-face, and her eyes looked
big & beautiful.
On Monday morning, I dropped her at her school. It was a sight to watch
my hairless Sindu walking towards her classroom. She turned around and
waved. I waved back with a smile.
Just then, a boy alighted from a car, and shouted, 'Sinduja, please wait
for me!' What struck me was the hairless head of that boy. 'May be, that
is the in-stuff', I thought.
'Sir, your daughter Sinduja is great indeed!' Without introducing
herself, a lady got out of the car, and continued, 'That boy who is
walking along with your daughter is my son Harish. He is suffering from
... ... leukemia.'
She paused to muffle her sobs. 'Harish could not attend the school for
the whole of the last month.. He lost all his hair due to the side
effects of the chemotherapy. He refused to come back to school fearing
the unintentional but cruel teasing of the schoolmates.
Sinduja visited him last week, and promised him that she will take care
of the teasing issue. But, I never imagined she would sacrifice her
lovely hair for the sake of my son! Sir, you and your wife are blessed
to have such a noble soul as your daughter.'
"The Promise"
'How long will you be poring over that newspaper? Will you come here
right away and make your darling daughter eat her food?' It was my wife.
I tossed the paper away and rushed to the scene. My only daughter Sindu
looked frightened. Tears were welling up in her eyes. In front of her
was a bowl filled to its brim with Curd Rice.
Sindu is a nice child, quite intelligent for her age. She has just
turned eight. She particularly detested Curd Rice. My mother and my wife
are orthodox, and believe firmly in the 'cooling effects' of Curd Rice!
I cleared my throat, and picked up the bowl. "Sindu, darling, why don't
you take a few mouthful of this Curd Rice? Just for Dad's sake, dear
And, if you don't, your Mom will shout at me'
I could sense my wife's scowl behind my back. Sindu softened a bit, and
wiped her tears with the back of her hands. 'OK, Dad. I will eat – not
just a few mouthfuls, but the whole lot of this. But, you should...'
Sindu hesitated.
'Dad, if I eat this entire Curd Rice, will you give me whatever I ask
for?'
'Oh sure, darling'.
'Promise?'
'Promise'. I covered the pink soft hand extended by my daughter with
mine, and clinched the deal.
'Ask Mom also to give a similar promise', my daughter insisted. My wife
slapped her hand on Sindu's, muttering 'Promise', without any emotion.
Now I became a bit anxious. 'Sindumma, you shouldn't insist on getting a
computer or any such expensive items. Dad does not have that kind of
money right now. OK?'
'No, Dad. I do not want anything expensive'. Slowly and painfully, she
finished eating the whole quantity. I was silently angry with my wife
and my mother for forcing my child eat something that she detested.
After the ordeal was through, Sindu came to me with her eyes wide with
expectation. All our attention was on her. 'Dad, I want to have my head
shaved off, this Sunday!' was her demand!
'Atrocious!' shouted my wife, 'a girl child having her head shaved off?
Impossible!'.
'Never in our family!' my mother rasped. 'She has been watching too much
of television. Our culture is getting totally spoiled with these TV
programs!'
'Sindumma, why don't you ask for something else? We will be sad seeing
you with a clean-shaven head.'
'No, Dad. I do not want anything else', Sindu said with finality.
'Please, Sindu, why don't you try to understand our feelings?' I tried
to plead with her.
'Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat that Curd Rice'. Sindu
was in tears. 'And you promised to grant me whatever I ask for.. Now, you
are going back on your words. Was it not you who told me the story of
King Harishchandra, and its moral that we should honor our promises no
matter what?'
It was time for me to call the shots. 'Our promise must be kept.'
'Are you out your mind?' chorused my mother and wife.
'No. If we go back on our promises, she will never learn to honor her
own. Sindu, your wish will be fulfilled.'
With her head clean-shaven, Sindu had a round-face, and her eyes looked
big & beautiful.
On Monday morning, I dropped her at her school. It was a sight to watch
my hairless Sindu walking towards her classroom. She turned around and
waved. I waved back with a smile.
Just then, a boy alighted from a car, and shouted, 'Sinduja, please wait
for me!' What struck me was the hairless head of that boy. 'May be, that
is the in-stuff', I thought.
'Sir, your daughter Sinduja is great indeed!' Without introducing
herself, a lady got out of the car, and continued, 'That boy who is
walking along with your daughter is my son Harish. He is suffering from
... ... leukemia.'
She paused to muffle her sobs. 'Harish could not attend the school for
the whole of the last month.. He lost all his hair due to the side
effects of the chemotherapy. He refused to come back to school fearing
the unintentional but cruel teasing of the schoolmates.
Sinduja visited him last week, and promised him that she will take care
of the teasing issue. But, I never imagined she would sacrifice her
lovely hair for the sake of my son! Sir, you and your wife are blessed
to have such a noble soul as your daughter.'
With tears rolling down I looked at the direction in which Sindu had
gone. The picture of her struggling with a mouthful of curd rice was
still vivid in my memory.
I started sobbing. 'My dearest one, where from did you get all this love
and compassion? My little angel, will you grant your poor father a boon?
If there is to be another birth please grant that I be born your son.
Please teach me how to love, my little angel!'
Let us learn, teach our children and one another to be selfless… Try and do a selfless act each day, bring a smile on someone's face- Start today and share your experience and maybe it will inspire us to do the same.
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