N. Raghuraman's column: Compassion needed to deal with imaginary falsehoods, injustices, atrocities

The boy, who was under 18 years old, asked me for some time. But I was busy, so I couldn't say yes to him right away. I looked into the boy's eyes, who were really pleading with me. I can understand things from someone's eyes and accent that they can't speak. I paused. The boy's eyes began to moisten, saying, 'I can't accept my stepfather.' Then I decided to skip my lunch and told him to 'come, sit down and talk with that spirit.' "We sat down. I asked, 'Why is that?' The boy's exclamation began to come out, as if the water in the tank had started flowing with a strong current. For ten minutes he spoke one-sidedly. The water was now dripping drop by drop, meaning the words were running low. But there were tears on the boy's cheeks. I gave him tissue paper. Now let me tell you in a few words what the boy said. "When I was in primary school, my mother remarried after my father's death. Since then, I have never called him Papa because I felt that my mother did not love my father. A year later, a little guest (Sibling) came to our house, which made me very good. But there was something inside me that prevented me from accepting the stepfather, even though he loved me. I always felt that my real father didn't find love. I went to the hostel during my secondary school days and still live there. I don't feel like going home. I talk to my mother and Sibling on video calls daily, but not to my stepfather. I am working day and night to get a good job off campus. Appreciating her determination at a young age, I asked her some tough questions. I asked how one can stay focused with so much emotional trauma on the mind. My questions were to see what the role of that child was in this struggle. Since I thought the boy might find my questions harsh, I made it clear that this was my way of helping people empathetically—so that they could change their thinking instead of getting bogged down. I felt that young mind was stuck in the same place that I couldn't accept my stepfather. I challenged the young man's untruths, injustices and atrocities with some questions, such as 'Tell me, how will you take care of your mother's needs when you have a family of your own after 10-12 years?' The stepfather also described him as a big-hearted man who made a woman with a child his life partner. Just as the Vetala descended from the tree when he found the answer to the riddle in the story of King Vikramaditya, the imaginary ghost that had been troubling the boy for years calmed down. I said video call mom and ask 'how is papa?' Emotions overflowed from both sides as soon as the call was made, as the mother's phone was on speaker and the stepfather was listening to the conversation. This year, the Ravana Dahan of Dussehra is also on the same day, when two prominent leaders – Gandhiji and Shastri ji are remembered. It inspires us to fight untruth, injustice and tyranny. But 'Khayali Vetala' is another enemy, which is subjugating the minds of our children. It needs to be controlled. So keep talking to them. The trap is that imaginary falsehoods, injustices and atrocities in modern-day warfare are taking over the minds of children. Kindness is the best weapon to deal with such fantasies.