'I AM BAD!' (Short Story)

“Yes, I am bad, I agree I am bad!” was Bhola's exasperated response to Madhav’s constant goading to know why he has stopped going to school. On his way back home from the village school, Madhav had made a detour to the garbage dumping yard near the highway, in search of his classmate, Bhola who had not attended school for a month.  The new Head Masterji had asked him to meet Bhola and find out why he was absent from school.  His twenty classmates had followed him in a search of Bhola.

“Yes Madhav, I am bad. I have stopped going to school, I have failed the exams too. Masterji always punishes me for disturbing the class. I don’t like to go to school. I don’t like to study. I am happy here. Go and tell our Head Masterji!” Bhola turned away from his classmates and busied himself in sorting the garbage. He wanted all of them to disappear from his sight.  All his classmates, except Madhav, who were silent spectators until then, suddenly broke into a wild dance yelling and screaming, “Bhola is bad! Bhola is really bad! What can he do, coz he’s gone mad!” peeved by their behaviour Madhav shouted, “Shut up guys, and let me speak to Bhola!” He then ran down to the bottom of the garbage mound and stood in front of Bhola, “Head Masterji had asked me to inform you. Now it is up to you to attend a school or not. We will not bother you. Bye.” He then ran up the mound towards the highway closely followed by his classmates screaming and yelling their way back home.  

It was quite late at night. Mithi had completed all her work and squatted in front of her shack wondering what had happened to Bhola. He always returned home before dusk. Just then she heard the rattling sound of Bhola’s garbage, getting up to take it from him she asked, “What’s the matter with your son, why are you late? Are you not feeling well?” “” Nothing Maa.” Muttered Bhola and dragged his feet into the shack. He lay down on the mat spread on the floor and said, “Maa, I am not hungry. I am going to sleep now”. “But why Bhola, what‘s the matter with you? Did anyone say anything to you? I too will not eat. How can I eat when you will remain without food,  Bhola!” Mithi lay beside her slumbering son and cast a vacant gaze at the aluminium sheet roof of the shack.

Mithi worked at the construction site near the highway. When she had just crossed the threshold of the fifteenth year, her parents had married her to Shambu, who worked in a garage in the nearby town. Within a span of two years of married life, Mithi was blessed with Bhola, but within a month of becoming a mother, she could not save Shambhu from the fatal attack of dengue. She had tried her best to be both the father and mother figure to Bhola, but she felt that she was unable to take Shambhu’s place in Bhola’s life.

“Bhola, why don’t you go to school? Why do you have to pick rags when I can earn enough for the two of us? Rest at home today. Don’t go out anywhere. I’ll return home early. On my way back, I will visit Raghu doctor’s clinic and get medicine for you. I want to see you happy my son. Do rest at home today.” After a sleepless night, Mithi had risen up early in the morning, prepared and served breakfast to her son. She was about to step out of her shack, she heard footsteps at its entrance.

“Bhola, are you home? Is anyone there?”

Bhola and Mithi looked at each other when they heard a deep male voice call out to them. Gesturing to Bhola to remain inside, Mithi stepped out of the shack and met a gentleman in his late thirties, who greeted her with a smile, “Namaste, I am Spandan Pant, the village school headmaster” Mithi looking puzzled replied, “but, Bharat Masterji…” “I am the new headmaster” Spandan smiled while adjusting his spectacles on the bridge of his nose and continued, “Bhola has not been attending classes since school has reopened after the summer vacation. I had asked Madhav, his classmate to get Bhola to meet me. Then I decided to meet Bhola..” Before Spandan could explain the purpose of his visit, angry Mithi called her son, “Bhola, come out immediately, your masterji is here. What is this?  Why you are not going to school? Come here immediately!” Bhola quietly stepped out of the shack and stood beside his mother. Spandan quietly observed the thin woman in her mid-thirties, but wizened with hardships and paucity, she looked worried about her son, the slim teenage boy, whose face and dishevelled hair was lined with dirt. Bhola quietly stood beside his mother with his head hung low enough to touch the ground. Spandan bent his tall slim frame forward, placed his hands on Bhola’s shoulder and said “I hope you and your mother are in good health Bhola. I am Spandan, the new headmaster. Would you like to help me today with my work at school? Don’t worry; you will not attend any classes today, for sure. Agreed?” He looked at Bhola and waited for him to respond. Bhola remained silent and refused to look up and acknowledge Spandan’s presence.

This annoyed Mithi, “Bhola, don’t be so rude! Masterji has come all the way to meet you. I will get your medicines and get you from the school on my way back home from work. Bhola!” Mithi shook Bhola’s hand urging him to respond. “I will not go to school…” replied Bhola under his breath.

“What! You will not go to school, you idiot! Why you want to ruin your and my life!” raging Mithi gave vent to her anger and raised her hand to strike Bhola. Spandan intervened and said “Behenji, don’t lose your cool. I will take Bhola to the doctor and walk him back home.”

Mithi fighting back tears looked and Spandan and said, “Masterji, I am anxious about my son. I don’t know what to do. Please help me!” Sensing her distress, Spandan held the sulking boy close to him and said, “You have nothing to worry about Bhola. He is a fine boy and you should be proud of him. We shall meet you when you return home. Bhola, can you take me to Raghu doctor’s clinic?” Bhola looked at his mother, who cupped his face in her hands and said, “Beta, don’t remain alone, be with masterji till I return from work. You are my flesh and blood. I don’t want to see you suffer in your life.” Bhola saw tears trickle down his mother’s eyes and whispered, “Okay mother.” 

Bhola walked quietly beside Spandan on his way to the doctor’s clinic. Attempting to break the silence Spandan said, “Bhola, I am really a very bad man” Bhola stopped abruptly and stared at Spandan. “No masterji, you are not bad, I am bad” Spandan looked at the boy and asked “Bhola, I am bad because I waited for a month for you to come to school and instead of visiting your home to meet you, I sent Madhav to you. Bhola, what makes you think you are bad, just because you were absent from school for a month?” Bhola remained silent. Spandan then asked Bhola about his mother and father and their life after his father’s death. When they reached the doctor’s clinic, Spandan knew that Bhola had worked in a motor garage after his father’s death, while his mother worked at the construction site close to the highway. The garage owner used to ill-treat Bhola and used to find an excuse to beat him. In a fit of anger, Bhola had struck the garage owner with a spanner. The garage owner had complained at the local police station. Consequently, Bhola spent a year at the Delinquent Correction (Remand) Home. Bhola was eleven years old when he returned from Remand Home and his mother enrolled him in the village school. Bhola did not like the school either because his class teacher and the headmaster always used to find some excuse to beat him up or punish him by making him stand out of the classroom. Often his mother would fall sick and could not go to work, so they had to remain hungry that day. His mother fell seriously ill for many days. The doctor said that her lungs had gone bad and needed a lot of medicines. Then Bhola began working as a rag picker for food and his mother’s medicines. When she recovered from her illness, she forced Bhola to go to school and she returned to work at the construction site. He avoided going to school and continued picking rags so that he could buy medicines for his mother.

Dr Raghu greeted Spandan and Bhola, when they reached the Primary Health Centre and checked Bhola’s temperature, lungs and pulse rate. He diagnosed Bhola with fever and gave him medicine for the day... Bhola found that Dr Raghu and Spandan were childhood friends and had studied together in the village school. Bhola liked the doctor, who, according to him, was a jolly and generous person. Bhola had never seen him angry and had a hearty laughter. Dr Raghu always used to offer him herbal throat lozenges and today Bhola expected the doctor to give him a few along with the medicine. Somehow the doctor missed it.  When Dr Raghu lovingly patted Bhola’s head and asked him to visit him the next morning for a follow-up, Bhola laughed and said, “Doctorji, you have forgotten something.” Doctor wondered aloud, “What did I forget Bhola?” Bhola, with his eyes twinkling with amusement, coughed aloud and pointed towards the jar of herbal throat lozenges on the doctor’s table. All of them laughed while the doctor handed a few lozenges He lovingly patted Bhola’s head and asked him to visit him the next morning for a follow-up from the jar to Bhola. Spandan mocked the doctor “Dr Raghu, you are bad, very bad! How could you forget this? You really are bad!” This made Dr Raghu laugh out loud and pull out his smartphone from his coat pocket. “Spandan, how can I forget your favourite song?” Said the doctor and played a popular English song video. He held the phone in front of Spandan and Bhola to view the video.

“Bhola, you enjoyed the song?” Dr Raghu smiled at the boy. Bhola smiled smugly and replied “I like this song very much. I only understand ‘I am Bad’ phrase in the song. I have seen it many times.” Bola’s reply puzzled Spandan who asked “Where did you see this video Bhola?” Bhola grinned from ear to ear and said, “At the motor garage. Ravi used to watch this song and my other song videos. He used to see many action movies and crime movies. He liked to see all the superhero movies like Superman. He always used to laugh and tell me, ‘All bad people are in the news and movies, all bad people are famous.’ He used to make me play cards with money when the garage owner used to go to the city on business. Quite often he used to get caught stealing money from the garage owner’s safe and I used to get beaten up.”

Bhola looked at Spandan and Dr. Raghu who looked sombre and lost in their thoughts.  “Sir, did I say anything wrong?” Bhola asked Spandan. Spandan hurriedly replied, “Not at all Bhola, did Ravi ever show this video to you? Raghu, do you have the video on making of the Thriller video? Could you show it to us, if you do?” The doctor guffawed and flicked on the requested video on his phone and gave it to Spandan and Bhola with aplomb “At your service Sir”. Bhola watched the video spellbound and when it was over, Spandan asked him, “So Bhola, what would you say about this video?”

Bhola gaped at the two men and said “Wah Sir, all those ghosts are not real ghosts, they are men. It is not easy to do all this!” Spandan patted Bhola’s shoulder and said, “Yes my boy. So you see it is not easy to do a good job and make everyone happy. Tell me, did you like this video?” Bhola chirped his response, “Very much Sir, I liked it more than the ‘I am Bad’ video!” Doctor, as usual, roared with laughter and opened his lunch box to pull out a sweetmeat “peda”. He offered it to Bhola and said “Bhola, this is your reward!” the conversation with Spandan and Raghu made Bhola appear fresh and cheerful. He thanked the doctor and broke the sweet into three and offered a piece each to the two men. They laughed and graciously accepted the boy’s offering.

Once Spandan and Bhola had stepped out of the Health Centre, Spandan looked at his wristwatch and exclaimed: “Twelve thirty already!"Time for the midday meal! Bhola, are you not hungry? Would you like to join us for lunch?” Bhola could feel the pangs of hunger and nodded his head in consent. Spandan smiled and placing his right arm on Bhola’s shoulder said, “Boy, do you know who cooks the midday meal? You will see today. You have many new things to see today at school.”

Bhola saw a prison van at the school gate and refused to move ahead. Spandan laughed pulled Bhola’s arm “Don’t worry Bhola; the police is not here to arrest anyone. They have brought the midday meal the prisoners cook for the school students. And look, what they take back with them apart from the empty vessels.” Spandan pointed towards the school gate and Bhola saw the school students come out holding baskets full of vegetables. They placed the baskets in the police van and the empty food vessels too. Bhola cast a questioning look at Spandan, who replied “All the students grow these vegetables in the school garden. It is part of your school studies. So, will you like to grow vegetables for your midday meal?” Bhola marvelled “Wah! That’s wonderful, growing vegetables for my meal!” Spandan and Bhola had the meal of rice, daal, potato, cabbage and ladies finger along with the students in the verandah of the school building. They washed the utensils with the dishwashing powder and stacked them in the storeroom. Bhola saw a new building behind the main building and all the students enter it through its main entrance. Spandan approached him and said, “That is the school auditorium and your Mother has also helped in its construction. The village constructed it under the MNREGA scheme. I am sure you must have heard your mother speak about it. This is movie time. Would you like to go home or see the movie?

Bhola was speechless and silently moved into the auditorium along with the students. It was a big hall with a stage and they sat down in front of the stage. This afternoon, the students saw a movie on the Solar System, the Sun, Moon, the nine planets. When the movie was over the students queued out of the building to the classroom and Bhola remained in the courtyard wondering what to do as Spandan was nowhere in sight. He wanted to thank him and return home.  

“So Bhola, ready to go home” Bhola started on hearing  Spandan’s voice and saw him approach him from the Auditorium. Do you want to see what the students are doing in their classroom? Come, let’s see” they went into a classroom and saw the students draw the nine planets, the sun and the moon and write about them under the pictures they had drawn in their notebooks. Spandan asked one of the students why he was doing this. The student replied that he was making a note of what he had seen and understood from the movie and they would discuss it with their teacher in the group discussion class the following day. Then they would make models and play games on the solar system.

When Bhola stepped out of the classroom along with Spandan, he found the undergrowth that was in front of the main building was cleared. Spandan could read his mind and said “Few of the students work in the garden and few of them work in the ground in front of you to make a playground out of it. Once the ground is made, you will play football, volleyball, basketball and badminton there. Come I will show you the garden.” Spandan led Bhola to the right of the school building where he saw a beautiful garden full of flowering plants, vegetable plants, creepers, shrubs and bushes. Spandan told him the students use to take a turn to work for a week in the garden and the next week in the playground. The students studied language, science and Mathematics while working in the garden and the playground.

Bhola and Spandan heard the school bell ring marking the end of the day at school. “Bhola, why don’t you join us for the Day End School Assembly? Let’s go” They headed towards the courtyard where the students and teachers had assembled for the assembly. Master Dinanath, one of the senior school teachers addressed the assembly and called the leaders of each class to present their report and plan. Bhola saw Madhav from his class walk to the head of the assembly to stand beside Master Dinanath and announce, “Today, our class has cleaned the classroom, the school ground and worked in the garden. Tomorrow morning, we will help the people in the neighbourhood of our home to clean the neighbourhood and we will submit the report of the neighbourhood cleaning drive in the morning assembly. Sir, here is the detailed report of the work we have done in the classroom, school ground and the garden with the signature of our teachers.” Madhav handed a sheet of paper to Master Dinanath who then announced, “For the work, the students of class ten have done today, you can go to Guptaji in the office and collect your day’s scholarship for the work you have done.” Bhola saw his classmates move in single file towards the office in the main building. He looked perplexed and heard Spandan laugh gently in good humour. “Bhola, the school gives the students a daily scholarship of Rupees one hundred and fifty for the work you do to clean your neighbourhood, school as well as in the garden and courtyard. You can either collect it daily at the end of the day or get the money deposited into your account in a bank at the end of the month. The school helps you to open student account in the bank in the village.” 

Bhola was dumbstruck; he used to get only two hundred rupees after spending the whole day in his garbage dumping yard. At school, he would not only earn a decent scholarship but also get a good midday meal, study and play with his friends. He stood rooted to his place.

“Bhola would like to attend school from tomorrow?” asked Spandan. Bhola looked at Spandan and asked, “Sir, could you tell me about yourself?”

Spandan smiled and replied, “Why not! I am Spandan Pant. My father used to teach at this school. I studied in this school. I went to the city for higher studies and also taught in a college there. The Government advertised for teachers and headmasters for their new project and that is how I am here in front of you. Bhola, it is easy to be bad, but more rewarding and delightful to be good. Good not only to and for yourself but also to and for others too. That is how we live in a happy family, happy nation and happy world.”

“Bhola, are you there?” Bhola saw his mother at the school gate call out to him. Spandan gestured to her to join them. She hurried towards them and asked Spandan, “Masterji, I hope Bhola did not trouble you the whole day?”

“Not at all, in fact, I have confused Bhola, so he is unable to decide whether he should attend school or stay at home,” Spandan replied in reply to Mithi’s query.

“Bhola, what have you decided?” Mithi asked her son.

“I will be here tomorrow, Sir” replied Bhola looking at his mother.

Image Source:

www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/india-will-need-100-yrs-to-end-child-labour-report-115061100677_1.html

Child labourer in India. Picture: internationalsaviour.blogspot.com