Continued…

‘You’re darned right, I could say that!’ the Father said.

And who could deny the sweetness of his feelings at getting a whole sentence out of his otherwise reticent Daughter.

The radio channel was giving headlines now (it was already 5 o’clock!). The breaking news of the day was about a minor girl who had been raped and murdered. It was very similar to a recent case. Both father and daughter listened attentively.

‘Such a small girl,’ the man’s contempt at the crime was apparent in his Voice. ‘Logo ko ab koi haya hi nahin hai (People don’t have any shame these days). What a terrible crime; imagine her parents’ situation.’

‘Parents should be more careful about where they send their daughters,’ the girl put in. ‘They should have been responsible enough to know her whereabouts.’

The father noted the know-it-all tone to his daughter’s voice. He hid a smile. It reminded him of when he was that age. He would always assume he knew best, no matter what the situation.

‘Yes beta, but how careful can one be?’ he remarked. ‘The problem is the nation. We are corrupt as a whole. Does this mean parents should not send their kids anywhere? You should also stop going to university, by the same logic?’

The daughter noted the you’re-always-wrong tone to her father’s voice. She suppressed another sigh. It was exhausting how nobody understood her! She was practically an adult now; maybe what she said should carry a little weight!

‘That’s not what I meant,’ she snapped.

The man recoiled. The girl immediately regretted being so rude.

‘Sorry Baba…’ she began.

‘No, it’s not your fault,’ he said cheerily. ‘It’s a generational problem. All you kids don’t have manners enough to fill a teaspoon.’

The girl seethed with anger at these words.

Had she lost that rare connection with her father already?

To be continued…