The Little Patriotic Girl
Based on a true story, but a few Characters are Fictitious
It has been long being in the Profession of press and printing, now when I look back I feels nostalgic of the Childhood days. One of me earliest memories of childhood goes back to the Days when I was in my junior school.
London, I don't remember the time exactly, but it was definitely a cold day. My mom was getting me dressed for the School, I was dressed in a wool blend trouser and a Blazer. I wasn't fitting to the Blazer properly, as usual it was one of my brothers left out ones. Soon my father took my hand and we headed towards the School.
It was a misty day, I could see partly wet benches by the road sides, cars with wipers on and people wearing long over coats and carrying Umbrella. Pretty much a typical London weather. As when we moved ahead I looked back, and I saw Shik coming with her father. Alas! I don’t remember her real name but that is how we used to call her. She was my classmate and the only Indian in the School other than me. This also made us friends. I slowed down to catch up with her, but my father kept going with the same pace, and this pulled my hand, and I had to keep going with my father, I just could keep look behind and she would give me a smile once in a while.
We reached School, and my father departed after leaving me at the gate. She arrived too and we both went inside the school. My school was constructed years back, and the architecture strongly suggests that. We had fountain in front of the main building with statues in the middle of it, Old French style pillars. We had a huge Church inside, and it had a French touch too in its architecture.
Soon the assembly bell rang and we all headed towards the Church for Morning prayers, I remember everyday Father John used to read a few passages from a book for us. As everyday we started the prayers, and soon after it he picked up a book for us.
"Ok Children, today we will talk about a citi in India called Calcutta. Calcutta is an Old and Dirty city at the Eastern part of India. ............"
After the assembly was dispersed, we all went back to our Classes. After a few routine lectures, we were all called for Games Period. We were all heading towards the Ground, but I saw Shik still sitting at her seat. When I came back from the Ground, she was still there, sitting at her seat with both her hands on the Cheek and under some deep contemplation.
I saw her the same way for quite a few times in the next few days, I heard a lot of our fellow students talking about her being a loner. I tried asking her once but She continued to be silent. May be with that level of maturity I didn’t know how to handle the situation, and I continued to be my own way.
One evening, Shik's father came to our house. I heard him talking to my father, "Dr. Sharma today I received a letter from Father John, he says my daughter is not participating in any of the school activities. I asked her but she is keeping silence. I thought may be your son can tell us something."
My father called me, they asked me about it, all I could tell them was that She keeps silent in the school and doesn't talk or play with anybody.
My father said, "may be if we all talk to her she will tell us something". My father took me to their house, and they started talking to her. "Tell me dear, do you have any problem? Did anybody tell you something?".
After a number of repeated attempts, she uttered with a mild voice, "Father John says Calcutta is a Dirty City, how can I hear something about my country?".
This left a stun at everyone’s face.
Next day I saw her father walking into Father John's office. I minded my business and walked towarsd the class. As usual the assembly bell rang in some time and we walked into the Church. After the prayers, father came to the podium.
"Children I would like to ask apology from one among you. I hurt one among you a few days ago. I said 'Calcutta is an old and dirty city', and because of which one among you was sad and dejected, She became silent, but we didn't bother to know what happened to her, on the other hand we accused her of not being friendly. Children this tells us that we should learn to respect every country and every race."
He then called her to the stage, and gave her a few books and an envelope.
As we were moving to the class she showed me the books and the envelope. The envelope read, "A letter to a Little Patriotic girl".
A few years later she went back to India with her parents. We never met again.
Recently, I got a letter from my friend, "Father John expired, assemble at the school to pay tribute to him".
Father John was now a respectable person among a larger community, he left teaching long back but he continued to be a loved one of the people. At the funeral, the Mayor said, we should publish some of the writing of Father John, so that he continues to enlighten us beyond the boundaries of time.
Some of His writings and Diaries came to us, I was looking through a diary, one of the pages read,
"A Letter to a Little Patriotic girl"....
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