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'I want to live,' the cry of village youth
The village children huddle together, near the T.V. sets available to them to watch the cricket matches.

This is a pastime that is allowed when they are not with their books.

The news of the explosion at a Mahapola fair stunned the adult world. If they were earlier frightened for their young, now they are petrified. So they have decided not to send their children for any shows that would attract a crowd. The children listen to their parents' conversation in stoic silence. It will be useless to argue.

Musical shows and fairs are not common features in the village town, so that when they do take place, the crowds are inevitable. Entertainment in the village is very limited.

So sometimes young people tend to amuse themselves in a bizarre manner. A few weeks ago, four girls were suspended from school for two weeks.

This was the punishment meted out to them for being found drunk on the village highway! They were grade 9 students.

The story goes that the four girls went for a "coming of age" party of a classmate. They went straight from school (so they were still in their school uniforms) accompanied by the girl's brother who showed them the way. The boy's friends were also present and being from the same school they all knew each other pretty well. The girls had asked the boys to get them a drink and the boys had "spiked" the drinks in order to see what the reaction would be.

The result was much more than they had expected. Seeing that their little escapade was going to backfire, they wanted to get rid of the girls - fast. They offered to put the girls in a tri-shaw and send them home.

The girls had refused. They felt like "free spirits" as they set off home. On the way, one of the girls had been violently sick. The others sat themselves down on the culvert by the side of the road, waiting for their friend to get a grip on herself, while they laughed and patted each on the back. The world to them at that moment was a very funny place.

That was the time a passer-by recognizing them, sent a message to one of the parents and of course, by evening the whole village was agog. The school Principal had to take action.

I listened to this story and asked them what happened to the boys. Nothing apparently. They were boys, the girls should have known better! The girls paid for trusting. It will take a long time for them to live that down.

They will carry a 'stigma' until the village decides to forget, and the parents will feel 'let down', so life is not going to be easy for these young adolescents.

One feels sorry for these kids. They study in co-ed schools. As children they share a lot of camaraderie, because the families know each other. Then comes adolescence and they are given a new set of rules. All of a sudden everything they have been doing and taken for granted is "not permissible". Life can be very constricting in the village.

Girls in the village are the same as the girls in the town. They love to wear jeans, and experiment with new 'looks'. But the fear of being "labelled" by the village makes them conform. They watch T.V. and read and yearn for the day they can be free to be themselves.

The boys find they have no outlet for their excess energy. Life can be very boring for them in the village. So they try all the "taboo" things in stealth, hoping they will not be found out. If they do get up to mischief it is mostly for "kicks". They yearn to be like the children in the town and the city schools.

The only way to achieve this is through study. Going into town even for a few brief hours, means that the boys and girls are away from the prying eyes of the village, lost in the numbers that frequent that space.

Adolescents' most often turn to their peer groups for support. The village teachers are too busy, finding ways and means of being transferred "to better schools", as they do not want to be stuck in a "backwater".

The parents are too busy finding avenues to earn a few rupees, so the children have to be grateful and keep themselves "away from trouble".

The parents' only concession to their demands is to find them the extra money to attend a tutory in town.

Adolescent's struggles towards youth, looking for their passport to freedom. Education. Once they achieve this milestone, they look for a job in the city. No way are they going to live in this "desolate hole". Any job is good enough to get away.

Mr. Choksy's little address to the nation sent shock waves down the spines of these youth. "Self-employment for the rural youth" - They are being consigned to the village for their entire life!

Frustration and despair ride high. They want to live as the other half does - Freedom is such a beautiful word.


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