Doubts and Parents Responsibility
Why fires go upwards? What is the difference between aroma and fragrance? Why we wake up with bad breath? Why women weep more openly? Why sometimes we find sand in the newly purchased imported blue jeans?
When children raise these doubts,
parents normally shut their enthusiasm with a standard remark “Don’t
ask silly questions”. In Telugu they are called ‘choppadantu
prasnalu’. Elders should never kill the eagerness of a child.
Here
is an example from my life experience.
Ravan the movie:
Abhishek Bachhan kidnaps the wife of in the police station. When I read the synopsis of this film, I recalled my childhood doubt. a police officer to take revenge for his innocent sister’s rape and death.
This story is inspired from the
greatest all-time epic Ramayana but the director deviates from the
original with regard to hero’s sister character. In Ramayana her
name is Surpanaka, who is neither raped nor killed. In fact she gets
punished for expressing her love.
When I was twelve years old I was confused. Why a person like Laxmana with such high ethical standards, should slash Surpanaka’s ears and nose? My father also could not clarify but later found the answer from “Ramayana Kalpavrisham” by Jnanpeet awardee Viswanadha Satyanarayana.
When the demon lady proposes,
Laxmana asks how he, being a normal human, can feed her giant belly
and massive hunger. She says, “Don’t worry. I have special virtues.
From any distance my ears can sense the footstep sounds of any
animal. My nose is so powerful that when I take deep breath, those
creatures either rabbit or elephant fly and fall before me.”
Laxamana reveals: “There is a
purpose for our stay in the forest for past thirteen years. It is to
save innocent animals and holy Saints from evil forces like you.
Being a lady I don’t kill you but relieve you from your powers” and
slashes her ears and nose.
