The town called boring story
Once upon a time in India,there was a town called Boring. It
was by the side of Dull Lake. The people of Boring never smiled; they
did not know how to -- Whether it was grownups or children.
All the children ever did was study. They studied in school all day.
On returning home they got busy with homework and with revision for
class tests in school. No one played any games -- there were no
playgrounds in the town.
It was a strange town. The children
were never happy to meet each other. Sometimes they would try to avoid
each other's eyes. Or they would try to pretend that they had not
studied much for tests. That was not all. They also lied to each other
about which chapters were important for the coming test. All that the
children wanted was marks, marks and more marks.
What a town Boring was! No one knew how to smile let alone giggle or laugh or crack a joke. Life was really dull and boring.
One day the town had a visitor. Ekta's grandmother had come visiting. It
was her first time in Boring. She had silvery hair and a smile that
stretched from ear to ear. Even her eyes smiled. The people of Boring
found her very odd.
At the end of her first day in Boring
Grandma understood that something was terribly wrong with the
townspeople -- even her own family. When she smiled and nodded, people
moved away with alarm. When Grandma told Ekta with a smile that she had
made mouthwatering gajar ka halwa for her granddaughter, what did Ekta
do? She said: "The history teacher cut three marks in the test. God
knows how many marks she has cut over the years. By now she must have a
treasure chest full of marks. I wonder what she will do with all those
marks? Maybe I should steal her trunk some day. I will be a very rich
girl indeed". She did not touch the gajar ka halwa.
Grandma
was amazed. How could anyone talk about marks all the time? But she
heard this nonsense day after day not only from Ekta but from every
other boy and girl -- and as if that was not bad enough,from the parents
as well!
If anything the parents were worse.They were always
pushing their children to get more marks so that they could get ahead of
others. Just as people go to temples to pray, the parents of Boring
went to a shop called The Marks Bazaar. The shop sold a special type of
pen with which one could write secret messages. The parents would buy
these pens for their children who would then scribble answers on their
thighs, ankles and elbows during exams. It was called preparation for
exams.
To be continued .........
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