Whether we admit it or not, somewhere within ourselves, the heart tries to find that meaningful connection with the right kind of answers.
Friends are one such kind of connection and most people have them, near or far. But for a certain period around the school, college time, the closeness to friends is more than it will ever be, little do we know it back then.
Now, having good friends is one thing, we all need that, even want that for those we care about, but getting along with the bad ones, that is where things get a bit murky.
Mr Gupta runs a small burger stand and he is the one who first saw Ketan and some others from the group he was part of running away from being chased by another group.
“I told, that kid to stay away from them,” said Mr Gupta to one of his customers, “I don’t know what his parents are doing”
Mr Kumar, Ketan’s father was surprised looking at the condition of his son.
“It’s the locality, the people here have made him into… this,” said Mrs Kumar for the inability to find the right word
“There are many good kids here,” said Mr Kumar who was an art teacher at a school
“You will realise later,” said Mrs Kumar
Ketan had good normal friends once, that is until he was attracted to one of the infamous groups, who were quite menacing and it seemed that no one messed with them.
Ketan who lacked confidence in almost anything he did thought this was the answer. His behaviour changed unnoticed by his parents who were busy in their professions and soon he was getting into fights with other groups of boys around. The group felt that there was nothing stopping them until it was serious. One of the boys caught riding scooty underage and obviously without licence, tried to intimidate a policeman and now the policeman didn’t spare the stick and then the effort to find the rest.
“I told the policeman the address of some of the boys I know,” said Mr Gupta, “I hate to do this to Mr Kumar, but it’s for the best. I hope the boys get better.”
Written by Anuran Chatterji
Early Morning Memories 
2 responses to “The Wrong kind of Connection”
This is a beautifully crafted and emotionally insightful story.
Anuran Chatter captures the delicate tension between adolescence, identity, and the powerful influence of companionship with remarkable clarity. The narrative flows gently yet carries weight—showing how a young boy like Ketan, searching for confidence and belonging, can be pulled toward the wrong crowd without anyone noticing until it’s almost too late.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sometimes it’s all about right support at the right time!
LikeLiked by 1 person