Radha and the Cycle Ride

Radha was delighted today! Meena, a popular girl in the school had shared her lunch with Radha and the two had a good time together. Radha was fond of Meena’s beautiful eyes and pretty hair. Not just that, Meena scored well in examinations and was good at sports. For a long time, Radha had wanted to be in Meena’s company and to be like her in many ways. Her wishes were becoming a reality finally! Lately the two had started sharing things and spending time together, and Radha felt that the other girls liked her better now.

In school, as lunch got over, Meena told Radha about an old man, ‘He is a great man, I tell you! He knows so many stories from the old scriptures and he narrates them in such a good voice. He would be in our village this evening. You would be coming to hear him, won’t you?’

Radha had heard him before and didn’t care much for his stories, but she wanted to be with Meena. ‘Yes, of course’, she nodded.

In the evening many people gathered around the old tree. The old man started talking, ‘...and the spirit asked the righteous king, who is higher than the sky?” After a dramatic pause, he said.. ‘Father. …A father is higher than the sky, replied the righteous king. He...’

‘But Uncle!’ a young girl interrupted from the last row of the gathering. All heads turned towards her, some in amusement raising eyebrows, and some in displeasure.

‘What if the father comes home drunk and beats his family. Is he still higher than the sky?’ said Swapna. There was a silence and everybody could feel the discomfort.

‘You think you know better. What do you know of holy scriptures?’ the old man burst out.

Swapna realised that it was best for her to keep quiet now. She noticed a few children giggling and pointing towards her and a few elders staring at her.

After the story, Meena, Radha and others were walking back home.

‘She shouldn’t have asked a stupid question like that’ said a girl. ‘She made the wise old man angry.’ said another.

‘What else can we expect’ said Meena. ‘She has no manners. Have you noticed her dress? always shabby and wrinkled. I wonder if she even takes a bath.’ The girls giggled. ‘That’s why we never let her sit or eat among us’ said a girl.

‘Yes. Have you seen the place she lives in? No handpumps, no toilets, no drains, the whole area stinks. Besides, the animals and people take bath in the same pond.’
‘Yuck!!’ said Radha. Radha recalled an incident somedays ago when Swapna had offered her a ride on her father’s bicycle. She felt relieved that she had refused Swapna even though she was tempted to get on to the bicycle. What would Meena and the other girls think of her, if they saw her on the same cycle with Swapna.