Epitaph on the Grave

Epitaph on the Grave

Children are so sweet and innocent creations, sweet that no man in his rightful senses would ever think of harming a sweet and indefensible being. Look at children world over and you will see a glimmer of hope a brightness that cannot be explained in their innocent eyes. It does not matter if the child belongs to the rich or is of humble origins, the look does not give anything away, neither their pomp ness nor their vulnerability.

These children are actually the citizens of tomorrow, the ones who have to hold the sky, the ones who must push this heavily laden cart of life uphill. They are the ones who will ultimately overpower our positions yet without a scuffle. They will romp home without competition; they will remain unchallenged by citizens of today, because they are the hope of the world to come. Yet it is despicable to note that these uncrowned kings and queens are victims of abuse by their very caretakers. Guardians and parents who give birth to these kids sometimes loathe their creations. Family disharmony throws them to the vultures and become prone to the vagaries of life. Many a life is snuffed at a very young age, nipped as they say in the bud, not allowing it to blossom and bear fruit.

Parents and step parents ill-treating their kids to the point of maiming them and braiding then with the hurt of betrayal and the stigma of relationships ebbing always in their life. The very character of this child would be subservient to the hurt and soul wrenching deeds of their own parents. How would such a child relate to a world of his adulthood?

The recent incident of children dying in huge numbers due to the lackluster attitude of the administration, who provided meals under the mid-day meals scheme wrapped in insecticide. The poor kids died because they were not in full bloom and were still innocent and ignorant of the ways of the world. They blindly ate what their guardians (the cook, headmistress and all the people in authority in the school and administration are supposed to be guardians when they are away from home and out of the protection of their parents) served them. So many lives lost, because they were too young and poor to be assertive.

What we lost were not just loving children, but may be future politicians, law enforcers, teachers, businessmen, innovators, scientists, writers or workers. Lying buried six feet under or in the embers of the flame lit over their young bodies were possible aspirations and success stories. We do not know but now they have passed into history without being given a chance. Their graves would be covered with the autumn leaves and the twigs carried by the breeze as those of the others in the graveyard, but the epitaph would probably read differently- “Here lays someone who could have but was not allowed to”.

Robin Varghese
Mail to: robin_vargh@yahoo.com

July 18, 2013