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'I
want to live,' the cry of village youth 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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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
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