It was not even a month ago when I wrote about the impact the bomb blasts that rocked Bangalore and Ahmadabad had on my son, and here they again happened in New Delhi, the national capital of the country.
We were on our way to Lajpat Nagar market which is quite crowded on weekends when my in-laws frantically called us to ask us about our whereabouts, informed us about the blasts happening all over Delhi that they had seen on TV and told us to not go anywhere when we told them we were going to the market.
We took a U-turn from the next junction to go back home. Hubby was mighty tensed but somehow I felt totally indifferent towards it. I really don't know why. Probably these incidents happening so frequently has made me so? But is this OK? Should any of us get indifferent towards it? I frankly don't have the answer.
Soon Anirudh realised that we were on our way back home and angrily asked "Yeh aap kahan ja rahe ho?". I just told him that there is big traffic jam and some problem in the market so we can't go because obviously I didn't want him to know about bomb blasts. He doesn't know what are bomb blasts and I don't even want him to know about it yet. I have no words to describe how mighty upset he was and I just didn't know what to tell him to calm him down.
Sunday newspapers were again filled with gory pictures. TOI, on the front page, had this picture of a small boy about 5-6 year old (not injured thankfully), sitting on a stretcher along with his injured father, who had major injuries on his leg, being taken to the the hospital by the paramedics. Anirudh saw that and asked me "Kya hua inko?" and I simply replied "Unko chot lag gayee isliye hospital le ja rahein hain". He prodded me further "Unko chot kaise lag gayee?" Again I didn't know what to answer and I distracted him with something.
Lot of posts have already been written on these blasts and I've nothing new to add. But every time Betu asks me such questions that I fumble and feel so helpless.
I can only pray "Inko sadbuddhi do bhagwan!"
I wish someone like your son asked these questions from the so called 'crusaders' for the religion who are indulging in these killings.
ReplyDeleteIt is so so so hard to answer the kids' questions but we must answer them, otherwise they will grow up to be an insensitive generation. Test for us as parents.
Not gud. The newspapers are irresponsible. Its almost as if they have forgotten that the houses which receive their papers might also have children.
ReplyDeleteI usually run Ishaan thru the newspaper in the morning with me once, but that day was a challenge to go thru. I did not break the newspaper routine, but had to be ultra careful with the pages. Thankfully, the Hindi paper was, one more time, lots more responsible. None of the pics were gory there.
glad to know that all of you are well.
ReplyDeleteI remember that post. Wish we cud shield our children forever.
ReplyDeleteAbt the indifference bit, i feel the same. I noticed that after the B'lore blasts there were frantic conversations in office the next day, but then today it was comparatively quieter, people did not want ot talk about it until prodded.
Guess we just want to shut these things out.
Glad you are okay! I don't know the answer either...I feel like you should tell your kids what they can handle, but sometimes they surprise you and can handle more than you think. But there's a fine line between letting them see the world as it is and then getting inured to the damage that people can do to each other.
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