“Have you ever imagined what it would feel like to slowly fall through clouds without the fear of dying or hurting yourself and without the usual physics of falling down? I am sure like me you have also noticed that emotion at various places like movies, shows or have read in books. When you imagine that, then you can feel that sense of liberation and peace, where nothing can be heard but the sound of thoughts from within that have been waiting to interact with you at the right moment,” explained Hanshika
Mr Pawar stared at the painting, there was a sky and through the clouds a shadow was emerging, the shadow of a person. But the problem was Mr Pawar felt sometimes he might be failing to understand his fourteen years old daughter at all.
Mr Pawar owned a woodworking shop. It was a popular shop in the neighbourhood and he was quite good at his work as well as managing the rest of the business. Lately he had been having problems associating with his daughter and her thoughts.
“But, is it supposed to be this different? How can I not understand her?” Mr Pawar had asked one of the workers and his friend Ajit one day
“You are asking the wrong person, I have not even completed school. My children, they learn and know so much more. I feel they will outgrow me soon if they haven’t already. I let them be in their own world,” replied Ajit
But unlike Ajit, Mr Pawar wasn’t giving up. He tried to be more involved by getting his daughter everything he thought she needed for her hobbies and Hanshika had more than enough of everything she wanted.
It had not been an issue when Hanshika’s mother was present. But she left Hansika and her father to be with someone else.
That is when Mr Pawar realised he had a greater role to play in Hanshika’s life now and that is when he also realised how much apart his thoughts were than hers. Drowned in work he had not thought of this part of life before at all.
Mr Pawar still stared at the painting and realised Ajit was right, he was asking the wrong people the wrong question and Mr Pawar looked at Hanshika and said, “You know I don’t know a lot about all this, I can’t see what you can. But I am willing to understand, so will you take the time to explain it to me more, a bit easier this time”
Hanshika smiled, as she was more than happy to do so.
Written by Anuran Chatterji
Trying to understand
Early Morning Memories 