Annamika
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“Anaamika, Anaamikaaaaaa,” Reeta called her.
“Yes, Ma” the reply was somewhat muted.
“Where are you beta?” Reeta searched and found her lying on
bed. Reeta saw her daughter with her head tied with a cloth indicating that she
was having headache.
“Arre! What happened to my baby,” Reeta put her hand on her
hand with motherly instinct.
“Don’t call me baby, Ma. I am no baby any more.” Annamika
jerked her hand.
Reeta was surprised and shocked as well. She sat near her and
made an attempt to comfort her by caressing her back. This time Annamika did
not resist but did not speak either. Reeta got up slowly and said,
“beta you have tutorials. Why don’t you get ready and go?
Saachi bhabhi’s son has already left for his tutorials. Do you want to lag
behind? You have to score maximum for your own future, for your own career and
bagging a good job and husband.” Reeta dreamt of her future in just sixty
seconds.
‘Let him go to hell. I don’t care. Am I tied to his destiny?
Why the hell you are making him an example for me.” Anamika jumped from her bed
and made an exit from the room stomping and closing the door furiously behind
her. Reeta was too stunned to react to her sudden outburst.
Clearing 10th with at least 90+ percentage has always been a
yardstick for furthering child’s career in the eyes of an Indian parents. The
competition becomes tough as a child enters higher competitive levels to seek
admission in the best professional institutions for making out a career at a
later stage which always depends upon the stream a student choose and the marks
obtained. Annamika’s parents were no exception. They wanted her to take up biology
stream for her plus 2 Boards so that she could take up medicine and become a
doctor. The pressure on Annamika was enormous as she was asked to choose
biology stream instead of her choice of subjects once she entered 10th.
For the last one and a half year, pressure to perform in academics was telling
upon her mind and body. She was not able to cope with her daily routine of
waking up at 0400 hrs in the morning, going through her subjects , preparing
for her school, be at school till 1600 hrs and attending tutorials to get
coached for biology, maths and english. She wanted to take some time off and
indulge in some sort of recreational activities, going out with her friends,
getting relaxed but expectations from her parents simply made her to shun
everything which in the eyes of her parents were useless extra and irregular
activities that could bring her academic performance down. However the breaking
point always was when comparisons were made between her and her peers from the
school, society and relatives. This not only made her irritable but she began
to hate studies. Slowly and gradually she started withdrawing herself into her
own shell.
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Manu was dead tired when he entered into his flat. He saw
Reeta opening the door before he could even ring the bell. She looked glum.
Manu watching her came to know immediately something was amiss. He tried to
force an unsuccessful smile but found himself following Reeta into their bed
room.
“Now what?” Manu asked Reeta. Reeta started sobbing. Manu let
her sob for sometimes while he changed into casuals.
“Is it Bai again ?” he asked watching Reeta
“No, Manu. Annamika is not at all serious about her studies.
Boards are three months away and I am afraid that she is not preparing for it
as she should. How is she going to get the required percentage for her
admission to MBBS?” She blurted out in one go.
“What do you do whole day? Isn’t it your responsibility to
check her performance and make her attend to tutorials. What for I am earning?
I want to see her on top one day like Raje uncle’s daughter,” Manu made her
unhappiness evident. Reena was not the one who could be browbeaten.
“No, it is your fault. I advised you to put her in coaching
centre the day she passed her eleventh. You never listened to me.” Reena
retorted. Manu thought for sometime. “Ok, let me talk to her. I have great
plans for her future but she has to cooperate.” He watched Reeta glaring at him
which galvanised him to stride out of his bed room. Moments later he came back
rushing to Reeta almost shouting, “where is Anaamika ?”
Reeta was at her wits end. She stared at Manu as if he was to
be blamed for Annamika’s disappearance. Manu and Reeta searched every room of
their three bed-room set including bathrooms and improvised closed storage
spaces but could not find Annamika. They were contemplating asking her friends
when they received a call from Manu’s sister Reena.
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Reena was watching TV serial IGT when she heard doorbell
ringing. She got up reluctantly and opened the door. Annamika was standing in
front of her leaning herself against the door as if she was drained of blood.
She seemed to have wept. Her eyes were swollen and hair dishevelled. Reena
craned her neck to see whether anyone was accompanying her. Not finding anyone,
she ushered Annamika inside and made her sit in the drawing room.
“What happened? Is this about Boards again? Have they fought
again? She asked while going into her bedroom to switch off the TV. She
hurriedly went into the kitchen to fetch a glass of Tropicana juice which she
knew was one of the favourites of Annamika. She did not hear anything from the
girl. She came out only to find her sleeping on the sofa. She did not wake her
up. She went inside again and brought a sheet and spreading over her turned the
AC on.
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Annamika always used to visit her Bua whenever she felt low
due to any reason. Bua was her support line and a sort of councillor. Had Reena
not be there for her, she would have taken some extreme step. Reena was the
only one who could understand her ambitions and aspirations while Annamika was
fighting the enormous pressure to perform academically from her parents. Reena
knew that pressure to perform was snatching innocent pleasure of enjoying life
within her and preying on her mind. She had advised her brother Manu and her
sister-in-law time and again to let Annamika pursue her own passion, to let her
study the subjects she wanted to study, to let her own dreams to follow but she
was always asked to keep aloof from such matters as she had no child of her own
who could understand a parent’s anxiety for their wards. She had understood the potential of Annamika
as a designer. Annamika never wanted to become a doctor but Manu and Reeta
forced her to take subjects in eleventh class relevant to appearing in MBBS
exams after her Boards just because Sachchi Bhabi’s son was interested in
doctor’s career and pressure of being left out in the race of one up-manship
between two neighbours made Annamika to suffer. Raje uncle’s daughter Sheena’s
success story was also playing on their mind little realising that Sheena
studied in USA where academics play lesser part than personality development
and honing one’s skills. Annamika had an aptitude of making designs. She had
shown her designs of everything from clothing to auto-parts to buildings. Reena
knew that Annamika’s future was not in medical line. This time she made up her
mind to talk straight with his brother and sister-in-law.
Reena made a call to Manu and informed him about Annamika
being with her simultaneously advising him not to come at that juncture to get
her. She rang another number and spoke to someone.
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Early in the morning, Manu and Reeta landed at Reena’s
residence. Reena asked them to be comfortable while calling Annamika. Annamika
came out of bathroom and stood still seeing her parents. Reeta jumped and
embraced Annamika tightly. Annamika did not say a word.
Manu could not control himself and stood up advancing towards
Annamika when Reena held him forcibly. “Why don’t we sit and discuss? She said
softly but firmly. Manu sensed her sister’s firm resolve and sat down. Reena
gestured Annamika to sit too. Reeta simply wanted to get over it and take her
daughter home.
“Manu, this is not the first time Annamika has come to me in
a state which I would call most depressive. This is leading her nowhere. You
both have hyper expectations which she is definitely not going to fulfil. It is
now high time that you both allow her some own space and let her decide what
does she want to do.” Reena wanted to call a spade a spade this time.
Reeta could not tolerate such blatant intervention in their
personal lives from Reena even though she was sister of Manu.
“Look Reena, it is our personal affair. Please don’t butt in.
We have come to take Annamika” Annamika was about to say something when Reena
asked her to keep quite.
“No, it is not your personal affair now. She has come to me.
She always comes to me. Don’t pressurise her. You forced her to choose subjects
which she never wanted to study. Academic pressure has suppressed her own
desires, interest and hobbies not to speak about her deteriorating health.” She
was interrupted by wind chime and saw Rishi standing at the door.
Manu and Reeta were surprised to see an unknown person at
Reena’s flat. They exchanged glances with each other making their minds
criss-cross within their heads. Reena welcomed Rishi to sit.
“This is Rishi. He was my student. He is an example of
pursuing his own ambitions against all odds. He had tried to commit suicide
twice to run away from extreme frustration when pressure from his parents,
school, society tried hard to clip his wings of creativity and imagination.
Today he has made a name for himself in fine arts. Like Rishi there are
hundreds who chase their own dream. Let Annamika chase her own dream too.” Bua
said in one breath while introducing Rishi.
“Yes,uncle. It is no use to fulfil your own aspirations and ambitions
through your own child.” Rish spoke softly expecting some reaction. Manu
realised how true was Rishi.
“My parents too wanted me to perform which I could not. They
also wanted me to get into lawyer’s profession which I was least interested in.
The education system also did not allow me to take up my hobby as a profession.
The school wanted A+graders to bring honour to their school. I contemplated
committing suicide but was talked out of it by Reena mam. The education system
in India is such that it leaves little time for recreational, social
activities, sports activities and pursue your own interests. Children are
forced to piggy back lost baggage of ambitions of their own parents because
they had actually failed in their endeavours to realise their own dreams. Isn’t
it, Sir.”
Manu did not answer. What was being told was absolutely true.
“Is there anything wrong if parents wish to see their own
dreams realised through their own children?” Reeta asked.
“Absolutely not, but parents have also to understand that
their wishes cannot be forced on their child. A child is an independent
individual too who wants his/her space in this world. Annamika wants to take on
this world in her own way. Please don’t put hurdles in her pursuit and make her
life stressful and miserable” Rishi stressed on every word.
Anamika sprang to life. She now had one more supportive voice
in her favour. She expectantly watched her parents. Manu and Reeta both got up
slowly and hugged Annamika.
“Lets go home, beta. We will sort this out now, but never
leave us uninformed” Reeta cried. Manu thanked Rishi and Reena. Reena too
hugged Annamika and waved her good bye.
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Time flew by. Annamika was never forced to study since that
episode but she studied on her own chalking out her own time-table which
included meeting her friends, visiting malls, watching movies besides getting
into serious studies chalking out a roadmap of her own but under a little
supervision of her parents and her Bua as well. She secured approx 85% in
medical stream yet chose to go in for structural designing, her passion. Within
seven years Annamika became a name in the world of structural designing.
Saachi Bhabi’s son could secure only 60% which was not enough
for his admission to MBBS. Subsequently he took commerce stream in graduation
which landed him a job of an accountant.
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Words count :-2139
All rights reserved/Tribhawan Kaul
kaultribhawan@yahoo.co.in
