Cafe Conversations
Wednesday, 4.30 pm
“….also Dhruv is flying down this
weekend we can ask him to join us!” said Zahir excited about the weekend plans.
They were planning a small get together for the school friends.
“Well, I am not sure about him… It will
get a little awkward when he will talk about his life in London, his
university, girls there and how much fun his life is.” said Abhijeet, he envied
Dhruv for his ways. “How I wish to be at his place and live his life!”
“Stop Abhi… Don’t you start with that
again…! It’s not all that exciting.” Zahir moved his hand in the air. He didn’t
want to listen to any of Abhijeet’s crap (that’s what he considered it to be). He
gets back to his laptop searching for old school friends on a social network
and suddenly exclaims with his eyes wide open. “Hey Look!!”
“What is it?” questions Abhijeet with a
concerned look.
Zahir- “You remember that girl named
Fatima from school?”
Abhijeet- “Umm…Fatima…?!? The one who
stood 1st in junior annual quiz?”
Zahir - “Yes! Exactly! Look at this…”
turns his laptop towards
Abhijeet, “She is married!”
Abhijeet exclaims out loud “How is that
possible! She was almost 6 years younger. I remember she was my cousin’s
classmate.”
Zahir- “I don’t know. Isn’t it too soon
to be married?”
“Of course it is!” snaps back Abhijeet,
“What were her parents thinking? She was such a bright kid… How can they? Don’t
they love their daughter?”
“What is the fuss all about young chap?”
interrupts K.D. Uncle, the owner of the café.
Zahir- “Just wondering how the society
still follows forbidden customs… A 16 year old girl from school got married.
Can you believe it Uncle?”
K.D. Uncle- “Well, that’s not a new
story. Such system still prevails and there are loads of people who are a part
of it.”
Abhijeet- “But she was from a well off,
modern and educated family. I used to meet her parents many times during school’s
parent-teacher meetings. It wasn’t expected from them.”
K.D. Uncle - “Ahan? That’s something to
worry about. We all think that only uneducated people and people from the rural
areas, poor men corrupt the society but we fall prey to such beliefs... even
people from good backgrounds follow stuff like child marriage. You have a live
example in front of your eyes.”
“So you mean education is no way to civilize
people who pursue the social evils?” asks Zahir in a serious tone.
K.D. Uncle- “I will say, it is a way but
it is not the only way. You can say education is not the silver bullet you are
looking for to fight this abhorrent custom of child marriage. You have to make
people understand that it is inappropriate through co-operation of societies,
broader policies and awareness. You can’t reach the entire population of
thousands of people. But you can certainly contribute your bit.”
Abhijeet lifted up his head and picked a
glass of water. He agreed with K.D. Uncle’s words. Zahir stared at the picture
of Fatima on his screen. How innocent and young she looked with her eyes down…
looking at the floor, no smile on her face… with a sigh he closed the screen
down.
#Ester Demitasse
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3 comments:
That was though provoking.. Wish things would change in india.. :(
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Hey keep posting such good and meaningful articles.
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