Today when we returned home from the jungles after our New Year eve vacation, Kuhu my 5y old daughter was sobbing uncontrollably as it was school day tomorrow. When I patiently enquired why she was crying and stressed, she responded that she doesn’t want to go to school anymore as she don’t understand Hindi and is not able to pick up the Varnamala taught by her teacher. She tries to copy from her friends and is always late to finish her work and homework related with Hindi. The teachers are after them and they have to finish the curriculum before the end of this term. After sometime of counselling Kuhu told me- “Papa can you please practice with me hundred times so that I learn Hindi varnamala good”. It was here when I was exposed to the shock of my life.

When I sat with Kuhu to read Hindi Varnamala, I as father couldn’t complete the entire क ख ग घ without seeing the chart. It is here when I realised the bitter truth that it was not Kuhu’s dismay it was my failure as a father. We as parents were very proud when Kuhu could narrate the entire ABCD at a age when she was not even able to say Dadima and Dadaji properly. We were elated that Kuhu could communicate fluently in English and her vocabulary is increasing as I communicate with Kuhu only in English trying to avoid corruption of Kuhu’s delicate mind with my Bambaiya Hindi and Kathiayawadi Gujarati. Both of us read Kuhu English stories and show her various English speaking programs on different YouTube channels. It is at this time we realised the drawback in us as parents in inhibiting the growth of my child whose brain is like sponge which could have absorbed anything given to her properly. 

With the atmosphere that we are going through in our country we have become more hypocritic than democratic. I feel blessed to be born and brought up in a country where I was not asked in my 45 years of existence how good I know the national language or how fluent I’m with my mother tongue. It was me as an individual who felt the need to know my National as well as my mother tongue better to  introduce as well as train my daughter well. It was my communication with her in Hindi or Gujarati which will improve her vocabulary in that language better for her to understand, love and later grasp the language. Let not inhibit her growth by my drawback.

Similarly lots of sensitive issues in a big nation like ours needs communication, discussions and an internal sense of patriotism that what we are doing is for the betterment of the country as a whole and not for one person, one community or one religion. Recently in our medical college group as well as a Orthopaedic surgeons group which comprises of educated elite members of the society one of us posted something which was quite educating and Mohammed my friend who is more than a brother, with whom I share more of my life’s details than anyone in this world tried to put forth his point of view, but somehow we are not ready to accept anything which is not spoken or written in tune with the current wave. Mentioning or viewing or debating doesn’t make anyone anti national or less patriotic than how we were few weeks ago. The poor admin of our group tried to stop it, but I was deprived of the education which I would have got from two educated gentlemen who were debating on something important which was for the bright future of my kid and the nation as a whole. That event raised lots of questions in my mind-

1. Why are we stopping any intelligent questions which are raised to be debated?

2. Does Mohammad’s stand against the wave make him less of my friend? Will this make my love and respect for him any less?

3. Are our groups only formed to wish each other on birthdays, anniversaries and funerals of people whom we have never met?

4. Are we here only to show ? and appreciation on my promotion, new paintings or new venture or machine?

5. Are we shying or running away from difficult questions? We are proud peace loving Indians who are happy in Anarchy with a mask of democracy.

6. We not debating, understanding or arguing on these matter makes us more vulnerable to disasters as we right from childhood are trained to give a blind eye to problems till they are not yours.

The way my failure as a father to communicate properly to my daughter in our National language, it hurts me even more when I don’t communicate about my feelings and rights to my fellow brethren for OUR country. We feel guilty or proud during the growth of our child, similarly as a responsible citizen of a Country we should feel proud of our right decisions. We are all blessed to be staying in a very tolerant society, let’s respect it and help it in growing better and better. Let’s respect the democracy we have got from our forefathers and communicate freely and honestly without inhibition to leave India a better place than what we had got.