The Unwanted Child

 Last time I met Dr. Ralph, he was in a bad mood. He wanted to be left alone. I let him be. He was thinking deeply about something. 

"Era, can you come inside, please?"

I slacked off from my seat. Dr. Ralph looked like a defeated man.

"I fail to understand, why a little kid won't speak." He uttered abruptly.

I looked at him, gazing into his eyes to let him continue speaking. 

He placed his hands on my shoulder, "Era, you are a woman. Maybe, the kid can open up to you. If you can build the trust, he can let go off the weight he is carrying. I want to see the kid speaking. The reputation of AIIMS Doctor is at stake!"

I fixated my eyes on him. "Calm down Dr. Ralph. I trust your judgement. You will treat him and cure his disorder."

He sighed. "I know you would say that. Let's go and see the patient."

Dr. Ralph was eccentric, but I loved his eccentricity. Maybe that's why we were together. We walked our way towards Green Park. Dr. Ralph loved walking. He would ponder over the differential diagnosis as he walked. He would say, his brain worked faster when he walked. It was exercise after all!

The tall buildings blot the smoke coming out of vehicles. Usually there are lot of auto-rickshaws that work on CNG. But still there is smoke that seems to come out of nowhere and settle down in the city. On the way he stopped at a quaint shop selling old items. Dr. Ralph bought an old lamp and kept in his bag. I was curious but deferred asking questions seeing it to be an improper time. 

We walked for more than a kilometer. I badly wanted to hold Dr. Ralph's hand. But instead, I held his arm which he gave absent mindedly for support.

We reached an apartment, and there was a Punjabi gentleman who ushered us upstairs.

"Doctor, my son has refused to eat and is growing emaciated day by day. We tried coaxing him to eat. cooked his favorite dishes, but he has only refused."

We entered a small room, where a boy of about 9 years was lying on the bed. He was pale and weak. I held his hand to check his pulse. Feeble, but regular. Doctor Ralph tried initiating a conversation. 

"It's a lovely day. On the way while walking, I came across this old lamp, lying near the bushes." Dr. Ralph said, drawing out the old lamp from his bag. "I think it's a genie lamp and can fulfill wishes. Want to try?"

I was puzzled by this weird argument of Dr. Ralph. Who would believe in such nonsense stories? 

But not for the child. There was a smile on the teary eyed face. The child stared at the lamp curiously. 

"You know," Dr. Ralph said. "Yesterday, I wanted to eat noodles, while I was cleaning this lamp. And lo, presto Ms. Era appeared with her lunchbox. And guess what, she had brought noodles from her home, which she shared with me."

Dr. Ralph looked at me meaningfully, and I played along.

The child took the lamp and rubbed it, sure as if a genie would appear to fulfill his wishes. I was eager to know what the child wished for, and so did Dr. Ralph.

"So, what did you wish for?' Dr. Ralph asked. The child was hesitant to reply. 

"Say it softly for the wind to carry your wish, or it wont work."

"I want to be the eldest child," the boy blurted out. 

I was surprised. What a strange wish! Was the boy bullied by his siblings? I looked at Dr. Ralph seeking an answer.

"Why do you want to be the eldest child, sonny?" Dr. Ralph asked. 

"Because my father and brother last week, were talking about the two child policy, population control.

And then even my class teacher was telling about this."

"But's there is nothing wrong with the two child policy," I said. "It will be good for the country. We can get better services."

The boy looked at me skeptically. "I am the third child."

Suddenly, I saw through the eyes of the child. What seemed trivial for an adult meant a life for a child.

"So, what if you are the third child?" Dr. Ralph asked.

"So, if the government brings this two child policy, will they not kill me?"

And that's when things became crystal clear. 

Dr. Ralph smiled. "I am the third child, and so is here, Ms. Era. The government wont kill us."

"But you are adults," The boy said. "They will only kill children."

"See son, the government can't kill children. In fact, only after the policy is applied, people will have two children. For now people can have three, four and even five children. So nothing is going to happen to you."

"Are you sure about it?"

"Absolutely!" Dr. Ralph said. 

The child smiled, and his face glowed as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

"See, the genie answered your wish," I said, "directly or indirectly. It's a magic lamp after all."

"Can I keep the lamp?" the boy asked.

"Sure. But use it wisely," Dr. Ralph said.

****

Later in the evening at Dr. Ralph's chamber, he talked about cognitive development in a child.

Dr. Ralph - These kids have a curious way of gathering and interpreting information. At this age of 9-10 the human mind tries transitioning into the adult one, trying to interpret the natural phenomena. But the thinking is concrete at this age. A proverb can be interpreted literally without getting into the depth of it. Say, "Strike the iron while it is hot." A child of 9 or 10 years (if he hears it for the first time) may interpret it as the iron being more malleable when it is hot. But an adult will think about taking quick action when there is opportunity. In 2-3 years time the child will have a developed abstract thinking and he can see things which never appeared before him.  

Stages of cognitive development-

• Sensorimotor — In the sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 years old), children learn object permanence, which is the understanding that people and objects still exist even when they are out of view.
• Preoperational — In the preoperational stage (2-7 years old), children develop symbolic thought, which is when they begin to progress from concrete to abstract thinking. Children in this stage often have imaginary friends.
• Concrete operational — In the concrete operational stage (7-11 years old), children solidify their abstract thinking and begin to understand cause and effect and logical implications of actions.
• Formal operational — In the formal operational stage (adolescence to adulthood), humans plan for the future, think hypothetically, and assume adult responsibilities.