Uma Sharma, Gurugram
Raj loves painting!
He can draw and paint the whole day. One day he decided to paint snow peaked mountains. He sat with his brush, colours and canvas. He painted snow peaked mountain range against the backdrop of cerulean blue sky. A mellow sun shinning between the snow-covered peaks.
The painting was stunning. Next day he took the painting to school. Raj was excited to show to his art teacher. The school started. The first period was of Math. Suddenly, he remembered that in his excitement to paint he forgot to do his Math homework.
Mr Singh, his math teacher came to the class and said, ‘Please submit your homework.’
Raj felt drops of sweat on his forehead. Other children in the class submitted their workbooks. But he remained seated in his seat.
‘Raj, where is your workbook?’ asked Mr Singh, sternly.
‘I didn’t do the homework,’ he answered, meekly.
‘Why?’ asked Mr Singh, in dismay
‘I was doing art homework.’
‘You can’t find an hour to do the homework. This shows how lazy and careless you are,’ rebuked Mr Singh.
Tears welled up in Raj’s eyes.
‘Why are you crying? Are you a girl! Don’t you know boys who cry are weak and timid. Finish your homework and submit tomorrow.’
He wiped his tears and the class resumed.
On Sunday, Raj was playing with his hot wheels. He pushed the toy a little too hard. The car sped and smashed into the wall. Instantly the toy broke. He picked up the broken toy, and felt like crying. But he remembered Mr. Singh’s advice, so he immediately controlled them.
Deep inside his chest, a tiny, grey raincloud began to form. He trapped his feeling of sadness inside, which made them turn into a bigger and heavier cloud. By the afternoon the cloud was very heavy. Raj felt tight.
His mother called him for lunch. His favourite pasta was laid on the table, but he did not feel hungry. At the table his parents observed that Raj was quiet.
‘Raj, what happened, are you not hungry?’ asked his father.
‘Not much,’ he replied, in a sullen tone. He only ate half of his food and quietly went to his room.
After lunch, Raj’s father came to his room. ‘What is the matter, Raj. Why are you so quiet?’
‘Dad, is it true that boys who cry are weak and timid?’ he asked.
‘Absolutely not. Who told you that?’ Dad asked in a concerned tone. He then told him about Mr. Singh rebuke. ‘No Raj boys also cry. Do you remember the big thunderstorm last week?’
‘Yes!’
‘Was that storm weak?’ Dad asked.
‘No, it was very powerful.’
‘Exactly. The sky isn’t weak when it rains. Human beings are exactly same way. Crying isn’t a sign of weakness. It is just your body’s way of clearing out the stormy feelings so you can feel lighter.’
‘Dad, do you cry?’ he asked.
‘Of course I do. Being a boy doesn’t mean you stop feeling emotions. Being brave means, you aren’t afraid of your feelings,’ explained Dad.
Raj looked at him and tears started rolling down his cheeks. His father took him in his arms. When the tears stopped, he instantly felt light. The dark cloud vanished and everything felt brightened. He smiled at his father and hugged him.
On Monday, Raj went back to school. During art class, Aakash spilled blue paint over his trousers. His lips began to tremble, as he was trying desperately to lock his tears.
Raj walked over and sat next to him. ‘It’s ok to cry, Aakash,’ he said quietly, handing him a tissue. Aakash looked at Raj, let out a shaky breath, and let the tears fall.
On that day, two tough boys sat together, waiting for the storm to pass.
(Uma Sharma is an accomplished writer with over two decades of professional experience, including eleven years dedicated to writing. She is the author of four books and is widely recognized for her work on gender equality, inclusion and women’s empowerment. Her insightful articles on social issues, women’s rights and contemporary literary trends have been published in various reputed magazines and publications.)
Nurturing Creativity – Keekli Charitable Trust, Shimla
