Feature



Yamin Tauseef Jahangir

I looked at the dark eyes. They were so intense, yet subdued at the same time. The childlike innocence in them told so many stories, and I could not flicker my eyes away from her. I kept on staring, she did the same, but hers were manipulative and mine were submissive. I started wondering how easily she did it; she knew what efforts would I give, what moves would I make, how I would try to convince her, and she worked on them meticulously. I was defeated, but before I surrendered I tried my 'act of ignorance' as my last resort. But she made a massive counterattack. Instantly I saw tears brimming into her eyes, her whole facial expression changing dramatically. I sighed and took out a ten-taka note. She almost snatched it from me and disappeared into thin air. Then I found a chocolate ice cream in her hand, which she was enjoying to her heart's content. When she looked at me a faint smile appeared on her face, claiming her boastful victory over me, and also a sign that it wasn't over yet.

The life of a six year old is definitely full of mixed emotions. But their mischief is something that a normal adult human mind cannot even think of. Six year olds today are born actors. They get all the facilities for learning acting from different Indian soaps shown on various channels. Children today perform thorough analysis on their parents, when they are ready to listen to their demands, and act accordingly. But they never come to any sort of negotiation, and if their needs are not fulfilled, they become irascibly huffy and then the consequences can be severe. I have seen it in my cousins when they are brutally conquered by their younger siblings. When it comes to claiming their rights, they are up to the task immediately, even if that means breaking promises or breaking souvenirs. My cousin was grounded and his whole world came crashing down on him when his parents came to know about his late night talks. Later I came to know that it was his younger brother who caused the damage to his 'date life'. When I met his brother, the little brat had a reluctant look on his face, playing on his Playstation. I asked him the reason behind this, to which he answered,

“ Amake Playstation khelte dei nai, tai ami ammu ke bolsi je bhaiya rate phone e kijani kore…” Six year olds often ask questions that they know you are bound to answer, and they will usually ask such questions in a crowd. Some examples can be, “Tomar eto phone baje keno?” “Tomar wallet khali keno?” “Tomar pocket e oita ki?” - (Upon seeing something resembling a lighter), These are the questions which when asked in public can make you go haywire, but it is quite inevitable that some one will have to face it. Another thing to be noticed is the way they pester you when they are having a hair cut. I think that it is some kind of an equation where they see that their parents or elder counterparts are enjoying watching sports while they are missing their favorite Dexter's Laboratory or Scooby Doo cartoons. Evil then takes the form of a child, the raging inferno in the eyes melts all the sweetness of the soul and the crusade starts.

N.B. Student of EWU, Photo Credit: Yamin.