Chiyu science

8x8 stared Chiyu from the question paper; with her ball pen wrote over the two digits; and they took a wider shape; examined the numbers from all angles; looked around for the answer; and some nerve in her beautiful, Ramanujan brain twanged; 72, she wrote; it was 64 she had told her mother on the way to school; Raha, beside her, put little thought into his answer, 68. The electronic bell screamed. Exams were over; Chiyu, Raha and two of their gang had four different answers varying from 68 to 76; walking to the school bus sighted the vada-pav walla and ordered vada pavs, 8x8 slipped away; Chiyu is made for vada pav or rather vada pav is made for Chiyu; she bit into the spicy food, climbing the bus; was the first to land it in her stomach; Raha had just about started and Chiyu asked for a bite; 'chutta hai,' said Raha; Chiyu looked at him, said; 'tumhara aur hamara blood group ek hai, tho kuch chutta nahi hai'; wet with a splash of science, Raha, gave her a bite. The bus stopped at her housing society; Chiyu got down; 'how did the exams go,' she asked and Chiyu said, Fine. 8x8 is 72. Ajoba and Aji laughed loud, hugged Chiyu. And her elder sister Shreya offers contrast; she gets the highest marks, discusses Potter with aunt Vidya. Her father has bought her the entire Potter set; Shreya has finished it while Chiyu has not touched a book. She plans to stack up the bulky books for a wicket to play home cricket in the summer holidays. For Chiyu it is Play, Eat, Sleep. For Ajoba she is Swami in Swami and Friends, a book he is into a record 20 times. Harry Potter, comics, mobile make the life of kids; they may not have heard about Swami or seen Swami films. But Shreya and Chiyu cannot be blamed; school, home work, class work, coaching classes, make adults of children; in Mumbai, mothers birth adults; Chiyu and her friends studying in government school could be luckier. And what exactly is childrens books? Childrens books are meant for adults, make them pleasant; children do not need them, being ever fun peppermints. Ajoba has read more kids books in old age than when young. Young wasted hours on Othello and The Stranger. Old age wears smiling wrinkles reading William, Swami and many, many more. And when film directors bring in children as adult counter-points, they make for Haldiram gulab jamuns. Abbas Kiarostami in The Wind Will Carry Us cameras a handsome, little fellow in oversize pant and shirt to match adults in search of the death of an old woman; the adults wait for death, the boy does not; and Abbas scanning spread out hills and valleys; there are two particular shots: a turtle is kicked over by an adult; the turtle struggles; gets back on its feet; a dung beetle rolling dung; The Wind Will Carry Us is a line from the Iranian poetess, Forough Farrokhyadi; an aged doctor remarks: in dying one misses life and nature. Perhaps Abbas is one world class director exalting children and childhood. In an interview, the Iranian film director talks of the quality of imagination in films. Children have the best quality, being natural not vitamined. It is evident in the film The White Balloon - Hapus aamras and puris of a story. Abbas is making a point. We are missing the point. Imagination is all.