Bus from Tadpatri to Prodattur, I got a seat to sit with the help of my colleague who rushed into the bus fast and "reserved"a place for me with his bag. It is fun travelling by APSRTC buses in rural Andhra. The conductors have hand-held terminals using which they issue ticket and give a print out! Some buses have only the driver who issues ticket on entry and drives the bus non-stop - point-to-point. APSRTC buses are clean and well maintained. I am happy to see such good transport facility to common public!
Coming to the point, a very young girl - almost child - was sitting next to me. I put on my sun-glass as I am not able to take the harsh heat there. This child got curious and I could sense that she is dying to talk to me. So I asked her "perenti"... she was so thrilled to be talking to me ( I was so happy to give such open happiness to someone with so little effort). Rajani is her name. I asked for her full name - meaning with surname. She replied S.Rajani, which is not to be expected, as in AP you have proper surnames unlike Tamilnadu. I asked her again what the S stands for. She said it stands for Sanapindi - which means besan( hindi) in Telugu and she gets teased for this surname it seems. We both giggled like small childlren and said that is a nice way to get noticed in a group - when you have a funny odd surname! She was so happy to get that comment and started telling me her story. She had just passed X standard with 473 out of 600 and her father is too happy for this and wants her to become an officer in the Thermal power plant in her town!
Her father was sitting next to her. She said he is a farmer. I started speaking to him and he was happy to reply. He grows Thurdhal in his land and til-seed crop sometimes. His wife helps him in the field. His son passed X standard - but is not so studious as his dear daughter. I could sense his pride and affection to his daughter in his eyes. His sons opted to join the nearby factory in lorry-weighing department and earns Rs.1500/- per month working 3 hours a day. He does odd jobs in the available time and has managed to buy a Colour Television and Fridge(!) on instalment basis in the last 3 months. Quick actions - I thought.
She got admission in the Government Polytechnic in Vijayawada. She has to stay in the hostel sharing the room with others. I asked her what is the difficult part in this "free"life of being away from parents! She did not really understand the question, as she wondered where is the question of freedom... I know that it is a difficult concept for a child of her age, as she herself still feels that the protection of home is the best thing that can happen to anyone...
She has to plait her long hair herself - is the only difficult part, and of course, she misses her parents and brother in the hostel. In fact, she was home, as the college itself has given one week of leave for the first year students as "home-sick-leave"... strange though!
I asked her what she wants to be. Prompt came the reply, that she wants to work as an officer in the Thermal power plant of her hometown. Yeah, that is what she has seen all her 16 years and that is what is the "big world"for her.
Drifting from the world of this Prodattur girl, my thoughts come back to my thoughts when I was her age. What did I know of the outside world? What was my ambition? What I wanted to be?
Frankly, all I wanted was to be able to earn a lot of money so that me and my family should never face shortage. That is all I wanted; how I had not given thought. I knew that I had to study well and then things will fall in place. Again, what study, where, how, what is the way - nothing. No awareness.
Compared to Uma of 1976 in Madurai, Rajani of 2009 Prodattur is better informed and better focussed!
Let me conclude with the thought, is the world shrinking for the children, or expanding?? Is it same for city children and village children??
