NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT

The other day I was talking to a close friend of mine. As we chatted, she asked me if I think of my childhood in Kuwait with my parents. And like travelling in a time machine, my memories took me on an instant journey to my childhood with my parents. I found myself saying, ‘Yes, I always remember and cherish the times I had with my parents and I miss them’. My friend ofcourse knew my parents are no more. This came about as we were discussing parenthood, raising children and family ties.

Yesterday, after I was done with cooking lunch, I switched on the television and on my screen was Gopinath Muthukad who was narrating a story. He is a well known magician, runs the ‘Magic Academy’ in Trivandrum which has created a huge interest in the science of magic among the public. He has travelled all over India spreading message of peace through magic. He has conducted Magic conventions and workshops that involved Magicians from all over the world. Having attended two of his shows in Trivandrum, I must say, his magic shows are thoroughly entertaining and always a wonder to watch. He is one of the judges on Munch Star Singer Junior, a musical reality show for children, shown on Asia Net (Malayalam channel and Middle east) where young children’s singing talent is showcased. In every episode Gopinath Muthukad not only mesmerizes the audience with magic that carries a social or motivational message, but he also tells the young contestants a short story with a profound meaning, that not only children, but adults too can reflect upon.

The story he narrated goes like this. During a fair (mela), a child tells the father, ‘I want icecream’. Father says, ‘Okay, I will get you that later’. Then the child sees a doll on display and the child says, ‘I want this doll’. Father says, ‘I will get you that later’. Then the child notices a giant wheel. The child says, ‘I want to go on the giant wheel’. Father says, ‘Okay, we will go on that later’. The child was quite disappointed as her father did not fulfill her wishes. As they walked amidst the crowd, the child got separated from the father and she started to cry. A man in the crowd saw this child crying, he picked her up and inorder to pacify the inconsolable child, he said, ‘Shall I get you an icecream?’, The child cried and said, ‘No, I want my father’. The man showed her a doll and asked, ‘Would you like to have this doll?, to which she cried and replied, ‘No I want my father’. Look at that, said the man, ‘Giant Wheel’. ‘Would you like to go on that?’ ‘No’ cried the child, “I want my father’.

I suppose everyone knows by now, what the story tries to tell us. All our materialistic desires which when unfulfilled, usually cause us misery. However, all this becomes so immaterial and does not remotely come close to the importance of the presence and closeness of our loved ones. Its only in the absence of the ones you love dearly, you realize how very important they are.

Though a meaningful story, I wondered if the father and daughter in the story got reunited. Hmmm….