Roopak has been brought up in a house full of women – his mother and four older sisters. As a child, his sickly and delicate health meant that he was overprotected and never allowed to play with the other boys of the basti. He grew up following his sisters around and helping his mother in the kitchen. Roopak is now almost 13 years old. Until recently, the boys in his class intimidated him; he did not know how to handle their aggression and so they liked to pick on him, which sometimes reduced him to tears. Roopak is very good at mathematics and plays the harmonium beautifully, but these talents only made the boys tease him even more.
But now things have improved somewhat. Roopak has found a way to deal with the boys. He once helped a few boys with their math problems and that made them see him in a different light. Now they often come to him for help in math and slowly have started becoming friends with him. He has even learnt to laugh when they tease him and so they don’t harass him all that much. In fact the boys have asked him to join them in the school orchestra and he has been playing the harmonium with them.
Discuss these questions with your friends.
Do you think that Roopak has handled the situation well ?
Do you think he would have faced more trouble in school if he had not shown a positive attitude ?
Do you know of other children who have been teased ?
Does being teased affect a person’s self-confidence ?
Story 2
Roopak has been brought up in a house full of women – his mother and four older sisters. As a child, his sickly and delicate health meant that he was overprotected and never allowed to play with the other boys of the basti. He grew up following his sisters around and helping his mother in the kitchen. Roopak is now almost 13 years old. Until recently, the boys in his class intimidated him; he did not know how to handle their aggression and so they liked to pick on him, which sometimes reduced him to tears. Roopak is very good at mathematics and plays the harmonium beautifully, but these talents only made the boys tease him even more.
But now things have improved somewhat. Roopak has found a way to deal with the boys. He once helped a few boys with their math problems and that made them see him in a different light. Now they often come to him for help in math and slowly have started becoming friends with him. He has even learnt to laugh when they tease him and so they don’t harass him all that much. In fact the boys have asked him to join them in the school orchestra and he has been playing the harmonium with them.
Discuss these questions with your friends.
Do you think that Roopak has handled the situation well ?
Do you think he would have faced more trouble in school if he had not shown a positive attitude ?
Do you know of other children who have been teased ?
Does being teased affect a person’s self-confidence ?
Is it fair to tease people ?