Non-Fiction

 Nobel Alam

During childhood, children believe everyone is equal. Their innocence is pure and noble. Today I look back on those days of mine- golden days, days of innocence, days of celebrations. Finding differences among people was inceivable.

Various classes of people exist in our society. The classes are identified by their economic soundness. Affluent people are revered; their remarks are deeply appreciated. In contrast, destitute ones are seen with pity. Sympathy is bestowed upon impoverished ones. While showing excessive compassion towards the have-nots, the sophisticated class may unconsciously make them feel crestfallen because they seem to be questioning the integrity of the needy.

For instance, the maid who lives in our home. Would we have her sitting along with us while having meal? While visiting a restaurant to have family dinner, our maid accompany us. We eat gleefully, but leave the maid standing isolated. This may be common among some people, but my conscience would never tolerate this kind of embarrassment.

This is an utter insult to the maid who is a human being just like the family members with whom she lives. Unfortunately, this has become an undeclared norm in Bangladeshi society and exercised widely.

What if the maid servant’s children sit on our couch, would we approve? Many people would not, and if I were to approve, many would find it preposterous. Notwithstanding, the innocent children is not aware of the differences prevailing among different classes, that particular children wholeheartedly does this.

In my childhood, I had joyous birthday celebrations. Hypothetically, our maid’s son, who was supposed to be my friend, along with his mother, had been invited. Gifts had been cordially distributed right after the party to the children guests. If my mother were to give him money in lieu of toys as gifts, would it look good? Of course not!

It would seem pessimistic.

His innocence would be violated and his integrity shattered. He would have been introduced to social classification in a way that would be incomprehensible to him. Prior to the party, his mother may have detected the disparity, but would not have been able to intervene due to her son’s enthusiasm.

Now, self-realisation might have taken place in the despondent soul. The boy would understand that the world does not view him the way he views the world. He used to perceive people with zeal, always recognising that all human beings are created as equals. But with the monetary gift, he would have had a heart-wrenching moment, and an unverbalized desolation would go through his mind. How does innocence survive in an experienced world, then?