14 Jul 2015

UBC Day 14: Pochemuchka



teacher, teacher.
yes?
what is this?
why, this is a watch, little one.
what is a watch, teacher?
it is an instrument that tells us the time.
why does it tell us time, teacher?
because we need to know when to do what no, child?
so we have to listen to the watch?
no love, we only have to keep track of time.
why do we have to keep track of time?
so that we can go home and come to school on time.
why do we have to come to school, teacher?
so that you can learn about the world and everything in it, little one.
how will that help me?
you will learn to live.
if I don’t come to school, I won’t be able to live?
you will be able to live, but you won’t be very successful, child.
but prabhu anna^ didn’t go to school, he still gets to buy ice cream whenever he wants, he gives presents to me and mari amma^^ everyday and drives a fast, red car.
who is prabhu anna?
he is mari amma’s son. amma comes home everyday to help mom wash clothes and vessels.
oh. prabhu anna must be very hard-working then.
can’t I also work hard and not come to school?
err… no, you have to come to school, child, you need to learn the alphabets and numbers and stories and rhymes.
but why? prabhu anna doesn’t know all those things.
ummm…
*bell rings*
there, run along now, your mother must be waiting at the gate. see you tomorrow, child!

Pochemuchka (Russian)
a person who asks too many questions

^Anna - elder brother
^^Amma - (in this context) respectful way of referring to househelp 

 P.S: Nothing like a little innocent curiosity to shake your faith in everything you have been taught to believe in. 


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24 comments:

  1. Shailaja V14 July 2015 at 17:48

    Well, that's probably more relevant today than any time else. Kids these days ask such questions that it leaves adults stumped. Most of them come from a very evolved sense of understanding too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CookieCrumbsInc.15 July 2015 at 11:03

      I know.. my sister says the darnest things :O

      Delete
  2. Vinay Leo R.14 July 2015 at 18:13

    I know a few such kids. They ask questions that are difficult to answer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CookieCrumbsInc.15 July 2015 at 11:04

      Very difficult. And since they don't take anything for granted like us, they make us think too...

      Delete
  3. Rajlakshmi14 July 2015 at 19:35

    now that's a fancy word. I should try pronouncing it.
    So many questions by the kid!! I would just run away ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CookieCrumbsInc.15 July 2015 at 11:04

      and this is one of the simpler ones in the list :O
      heehee, me too :P

      Delete
  4. Unknown14 July 2015 at 21:41

    Beautiful post. Sometimes the simplest of life experiences teach us the deepest of matters. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ph_15 July 2015 at 20:46

    I used to hate not getting all the answers I needed to know.
    Good story :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Obsessivemom15 July 2015 at 23:32

    Handling two of this kind. It's no fun believe me.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Boisterous Bee15 July 2015 at 23:37

    Hey..
    Nominated you for the Versatile Blogger award. Love your blogs.
    Check this link
    http://geetika-gupta.blogspot.in/2015/07/my-first-award-versatile-blogger-award.html

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
  8. The Side I Hide16 July 2015 at 09:06

    This is so cute!

    Kids ask the best questions in the world!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CookieCrumbsInc.20 July 2015 at 17:24

      They really do. And more often than not, we fail to have answers :)

      Delete
  9. Bogglehead16 July 2015 at 15:59

    True that, I always believe if we are able to convince a kid about something then we would be having a thorough understanding of that concept :D

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hardi17 July 2015 at 01:40

    If only we stayed as curious as children and questioned things more often :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. ramesh17 July 2015 at 16:27

    so,are you tamil or mallu ? hmm i think kid could not get clarity in the end and teacher was in little dilemma to find definite answer for sum(not typo err) of his questions.i like answering but i never came across such kids who had lots of questions. :-) that was cool.you should try to post some questions to which you never found answers on google or from people. :-)

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    Replies
    1. CookieCrumbsInc.20 July 2015 at 17:26

      Both :)

      Nope, teacher sent him away so that she wouldn't have to answer :p

      Come meet my brother -_- he will have more than enough questions for you.

      My questions are too radical and too meta to ask :)

      Delete
  12. Adarsh Ravi19 July 2015 at 00:28

    My little devil Nephew is one such brat for everything we say to him he has a 'Kyon?' (Why?) to it. He gets totally baffled when I do the same to him. He's really cute at times and the rest he gets on the nerves. Well written!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CookieCrumbsInc.20 July 2015 at 17:27

      Hahahaha :D I can picture "baccha potty karo" "kyon" "pet saaf karna hai na" "kyon" wala conversation :D
      Thank you! :)

      Delete

Go on, you can say it.

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