She is MAnvi and is all of 15 years. What defines her? Her curiosity.

She wants to know more about what she already knows and questions keep ‘pop pop pop popping’ in her head all the time. Well, when they go popping, who do you think is the first person who gets to hear the questions? Who else but  herself!!

When these questions pop in her mind she needs answers; otherwise more questions keep popping. Then it’s like that popcorn maker which has the corn seeds bursting into popcorn, going pop, pop, pop all over the place.

Does she have the answers to all these questions? Actually she doesn’t, but others who know her think that she talks as though she has all the answers. One could blame it on the teenage!!

So what do she do, when she doesn’t have all the answers? She goes to her go-to person, who is her thAthA (grandfather as he is called in some languages in India).

Does he have all the answers? He also says he does not.

Then why is he her go-to person? Because if he does not know the answer, he says so. Most times, he has an answer and he conveys the answers in such a way that she is able to understand. Oh!! and he does not tell her to stop asking questions. He does not tell her that her questions are silly. This makes her ask more questions, especially when she is confused and doesn’t understand something.

She is now walking towards her thAthA’s room. Well, going by the frown on her forehead, looks like she is confused and doesn’t understand something. What could be the cause for the confusion?

She doesn’t understand why she needs to pray. She doesn’t understand why people say that not praying is not good. She doesn’t understand why she needs to pray for ‘good’ things to happen to her.

Her questions to herself was “If ‘good’ things need to happen, they will happen isn’t it?  I did not get ‘good’ marks in my last test. Is it because I did not pray or because I did not pray enough? Does that mean that my effort is not enough to get ‘good’ marks? Does that mean that if I pray and don’t study much, I can still do well in exams and get ‘good’ marks? I study hard and I also pray that I should do well in my tests and exams. My marks don’t reflect my hard work nor do my prayers. So should I stop working hard? Should I stop praying that I should do well?

I prayed that my friend who always gets lower marks than me, should do well this time and get high marks. She also did not get ‘good’ marks. My prayer for her is not enough and that’s why she did not get ‘good’ marks? Or did she not pray enough for it? Or she did not work hard for it?

I know life is not all about marks but marks is what life is all about now.

Of course, there are some things that are going well in my life – my piano classes and performances. Oh!! I love my piano. Before every performance I mutter a prayer that I should play well and most often I do. So yeah, prayer works also sometimes.”

Confused she is, isn’t she?

Her questions are coming back to her with such a force, that she needs to look for her thAthA before they drive her crazy. She broke into a run to check if thAthA was free. ThAthA is most times in his room, sitting on the floor and reading some books which are kept on a small low desk. He will look as though he is engrossed in his reading, but he will always know when she is standing outside his room. She always wonders how he knew and this was one of her ‘to ask’ question, which she knew she someday will.

As always she was curious to see what he was reading. Her expression of curiosity changed to one of puzzlement. There were two books near him and both the books were on the topic of ‘Prayer’. She thought to herself, “Did he know what I was reaching out to him for? Many times, I think he does.”

Her thAthA looks at her standing in the entrance of his room. He nods his head, asking her to enter. As she steps into his room, she becomes aware that she is waiting eagerly for this conversation / discussion with her thAthA.

Her conversations with her thAthA always begin with her asking questions to him on what is confusing to her, or what she doesn’t understand. He will then answer her questions giving explanations and examples. Oh and he also asks her questions, for her to think over. Ah, so this is where she has got the trait of asking questions from?

She sits in front of him and begins her asking (or is it her learning?) …

“thAthA…”