Angels in anguish

(Inspired by an article from 'The Hindu')

As the sun slowly peeps from behind the clouds
The mother hurries to wake up the peacefully sleeping child
Sleeping with a smiling face as undisturbed as a placid lake
It would seem difficult for any mother to wake up such an angel
But the clock ticks, the husband shouts and the pressure-cooker whistles
Shaking the angel out of her sleep
Shaking her out of her fantasy world, the mother brings her to reality
Asking her to get ready to face another day in hell..

An hour later, the angel sits in front of her breakfast plate
Slowly tearing apart the toasted bread
Trying to make a story out of its crumbs
"Its getting late! Eat your breakfast without any games!" shouts a voice
Frightened, the bread pieces rush down the food pipe
And up comes a cough from suffocation
And immediately lands a pat on the head and a shout of anger from the mother
With the bread unfinished, rushes the angel
Carrying a bag heavier than her
And books with more pages than the number of days she has lived
For the school-van has arrived..

"I told you to solve the problem! Do it!" shouts the math teacher
Seeing the little angel drawing a little house on her math book
4x5=20 seems more important than this little angel's masterpiece
Little does the teacher realize her mistake
She has asked Georgia O'Keeffe to stop drawing
And the angel obediently erases her art
To join with an entire group of similarly forced angels
In solving something she doesn't see as a problem but needs to do
Just because the society says so
Just because of the independence not yet attained from the British educational system
Just because we still care about creating clerks..

As the door of the school-van opens
Rushes the angel towards her mother waiting at the gate
Like a wave that rushes towards the shore..
The angel removes her colorless uniform
And gets into a flowered skirt, the flowers making this flower look more beautiful
But she has no time to rest
In 15 minutes starts the 'Hindi Tuition'
And why should the angel attend it?
Just because the neighbor's son is attending it
Just because it is a crime to let your girl not know what the neighbor's son knows
Just because comparison means everything..

The hour hand in the clock seems to be approaching eight
And the angel looks at her artwork again
A dog and a cat playing with a ball
As only can happen in a child's mind
Not waiting to see how the artwork would be appreciated
She rushes towards her father, hidden behind the newspaper
Showing him the picture, she waits
A nod is all she gets
Because the stock market seems more interesting than this angel's art
Saddened, she walks towards her mother
Showing her the picture, she waits
"It is nice!" comes the reply even without a glance at the picture
The boiling rasam needs more attention, after all
And walks the angel out of the kitchen
Throwing the drawing along with the older newspapers
And seating herself in a corner
Waiting for the dinner and for the night's sleep
That would pave way to another day in hell..

****

Right from the sunrise to the sunset
Right from the cock's crow to the owl's hoot
Many such little angels seem to be forced to do things they hate
Many such little angels seem to be forced to give up things they love
Not the fault of the father
Not the fault of the mother
They just want to be a part of this society, after all..

But as if all these cruelties were not enough
Just like nothing really is enough for a man
Ever since he started hunting his own kind
Ever since he started evolving from a much kinder species
Many little angels, at many corners of this country
And many corners of this world
Seem to be becoming prey to animals
Animals more cunning than the fox
Animals more vicious than the vultures..

Not knowing what to say, not knowing how to say
Afraid of resisting or opposing
These little angels remain silent
Just like they are taught to be at home and school
These little angels - God's another incarnation, as we happily say,
Who are sexually abused!