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interview

that I would hush no more.
I would give young people
the words they needed, the
confidence they needed to
overcome even such a hei-
nous crime. I wanted to show
them that there is a light
at the end of the tunnel, no
matter how dark that tunnel
may seem.
What’s your view on
children and young adults
living in our rural belts and
with that deprived of the
basics?
In Kupwara, Northern Kash-
mir, I was conducting a crea-
tive writing and storytell-
ing workshop in a school. I
in our own ways. told a story, the children greatly en-
joyed it. But they were uncomfortable
In your interactions with the young The OTher: when I finished. When I probed them,
STOrieS Of
adults, what comes across as the Difference one child asked if the story was true.
most hitting aspect? everyOne’ Now this was a story about a bear who
Apathy and arrogance on one hand and by: paro anand climbs onto the moon, so obviously,
Speaking Tree
a sense of hopelessness on the other 176 pp; 299 the answer was ‘no’. They gasped and
hand. Both are very painful to see in almost physically recoiled as though I
young people who should have a fire in had just done a very bad thing.
their belly. I probed further and was sur-
prised with their response, “If it’s
Do you feel we Indians don’t really not the truth, then it’s a lie and a lie
connect with the young in the Rajasthan and I noticed she was very is a very bad thing.” I told them, no,
family? And with that, bypass their subdued and there were bruises over this was just a story. But they didn’t
emotional wants and aspirations. her arms, over her back and stomach. know what a story was. I had never
I don’t think I am in a position to pass She told me that she had been assaulted interacted with children who didn’t
judgement as a whole. But certainly, I by a group of men. She begged me not know what a story was. Their only sto-
think families need to re-define what to talk to my parents who were friends ries, songs and poetry were either in
they consider as ‘protection’ of their with her parents in England. It was praise of Allah or the beauty of Kashmir.
children. Of course, all parents want only years later, when the post De- Other than that, their imaginations
their children to be safe. We would all cember 16 Nirbhaya marches were were frozen.
love for our children to live in a perfect going on that I started to cry, realizing I know there are worse deprivations
world where everyone is safe and hap- that my friend had been raped. Even in in life, but to me, the deprivation of
py. But as long as we have an imperfect college, I hadn’t had a word for what imagination and story from a child was
world, we need to equip and empower had happened to her and I had kept so unbearable. When I finally managed
our children. There is no point in cot- quiet. I wrote an article on the need to get them to write stories of their own,
ton-wooling them. for stories for young adults around the the difference in the kids was palpable.
issue of rape and was overwhelmed The smiles were wider, the laughter
Tell us an incident that touched you with responses from strangers and louder. A teacher, with tears in her eyes,
the deepest. good friends who said that they too said to me that she’d never seen them
One of my best friends, an English had been raped when young and so happy, so openly happy. That’s the
girl, had come on her annual visit to never had the tools to talk to anyone power of stories.
India. We were both in college at the about it or that they were told to keep
time. She returned from a holiday in it quiet. Through my tears, I promised letters@tehelka.com

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