The other day after having my dinner, I went to meet my friend. It was around 10:45 pm, I received a call from one of my student Devdutt, saying that Ravi, a former student of mine, has come to meet me . Devdutt told me on phone that Ravi had an argument with his father, he left his home. We are waiting at your place, where are you? I told him to wait. Don’t worry I will reach there as soon as possible. When I heard Ravi’s name, I knew this was going to happen but I did not expected it to happen so soon. 

    Let me tell you more about Ravi, I first came into contact with him when I started my coaching.It was his uncle’s house  where I was a tenant. While searching house for my living and coaching I came into contact with Ravi’s father. He told that he has a son,who is good in studies but weak in maths and I can consider him my first student.  I was happy I got a home and a student.  Ravi was studying in 8th standard at that time. Basically Ravi’s house and his uncle’s house were attached back to back. From my kitchen, I can view Ravi’s kitchen  clearly. Literally I can hear the TV noise clearly from their hallway to my kitchen. During my stay there, I came to know that Ravi’s mom is not his actual mother,  she was his step mother. As Ravi’s mother had cancer,she died and his father married his new mom to take care of him. Mostly when anyone was around, Ravi’s step mom usually showered lot of affection for Ravi. But when no was there,  she made him to sweep the house (4BHK) , to clean the dishes and all other activities. All this things, I came to know since I was living behind them, I could watch all the things she made him to do. One day I asked him can’t you tell all this to your father, your mom is making you do so much of work. Ravi said bhaiya, don’t say like this, ” I will not tolerate, if you speak anything  ill about my mom.” My mom loves me a lot,  I love to do work for her.Hearing this, I just kept quiet. After a year, I shifted to a new room and Ravi also shifted from my tuition. 

     Fast forward today( 10-06-2021), Ravi is going to pass his class 12th exam,  he has grown up. When I reached home, there he was crying. I sat with him and asked what’s the matter? That’s when he started sharing his ordeal with me. What all the difficulties  he gone through  this five years. He started saying that, how the love he had for his step mom has changed into hate. All these years there were instances that his step mom and dad would lock him in his room and go to watch a movie at a theater. Not even once taking him along with then. How everyday, it was his duty was in the house to get up early at 5 am, to sweep and mop each and every room, after that to go to the grocery store to buy the dally essentials. Then finishing all this only he can go to his school. Even though Ravi studies in a good school, he does not has the privileges like his classmates, they have their own cellphones, their own laptops, their bikes etc. If there was any work related to internet, Ravi had to ask permission from his mom to use her phone and also he could use only that for a limited period.  Ravi’s work period in home has also increased now he has two twin sisters from his step mom,  he also takes care of them.There were/are times when Ravi’s mother did not gave him food. There are times when Ravi’s father used to bring any sweets or savouries. Ravi was allowed to eat them,only when,there was a guest at the home and that also he could taste just only one or two. All the cravings for sweets and delicacies made Ravi to steal him from his own house. Whenever his parents were away or sleeping, Ravi silently enters into the kitchen to tastes them.One day he was caught red handed by his father, who trashed him very badly, neighbors too heared the noise of Ravi getting beaten by his father, but no one dared to come.  I also came to know that there were many instances when his father used to send him out of the house at night as a punishment. During this corona period, as the classes were online Ravi was allowed to use his mother’s phone.Where the usual online classes were upto 4 to 5 hours, Ravi could use phone just for 1 hour other than that he had to rely on books nothing else, not even coaching . This day and age, where almost every student attends tuitions Ravi was not entitled to this facility by his parents. Whenever Ravi asks for tuition, his father taunts him using his 1oth maths marks,he says that I payed 17,000 for your maths and the marks you got is just 43. Then what’s the use of the tuition. Even though Ravi scored 73 in maths, his father ignores 20 marks of his internals. By the way, Ravi scored 80 percentage in his 10th standard, his father is not very proud of that.He wants him to top the class other than that any percentage is waste for him.

I would like to point out here that like Swami ji says Parents should never expect anything from children, today’s generation parent’s expect more from their children. This is the topic I would love to speak about another time. Let us come to Ravi’s father. Ravi’s father always says that I came in chaddi baniyan to this city, nobody helped me, you should also not expect help from anybody if you have any doubts about the subject,just read the subject properly from the books you will get it , but don’t ask me. Ravi’s dad is a gold medalist in chemistry. He is at a good quality testing position in India’s biggest medicine manufacturer ” The Sun Pharma” . His salary is approx 1 to 1.5 lac per month. The argument which made Ravi left his home was that, Ravi wants to to BCA and that night he wanted permission from his father for the college he selected which was in Chandigarh  with a fees of 130,000 for three years.His father was not convinced with Ravi, he wants him to do BSc chemistry that too in a govt college because fees of govt college is less more or like 10,000 per year, that too in Bharuch not any other govt college.He said that if you can do this do otherwise you can leave this house. I don’t need you,  you are just a pain for me and your mom. You are fit for nothing , you can’t even clear a clerical exam. You are a loser.Just get lost and don’t thing that I will come in search of you. 

That night Ravi shared with me a lot of things,I have just shared half of it in this post. I heard him patiently.He said bhaiya I am ready to do anywork.  I don’t want to live there.After hearing him,I advised him, your marksheets have not come yet, nor have you attained age of 18. Just wait ,now is not the right time for you to leave your home, just go back tomorrow  morning.Your father’s anger will subsidize.I will do something. I made Ravi sleep in his friend’s home that night.I discussed Ravi’s situation with one of my student’s father,who  was ready to sponsor for Ravi’s studies and his stay. He also said that we can make an FIR  on his parents, I told him I don’t think it’s not the right thing to do so, this will make the matter more worse for him.The next morning Ravi went to his home and I met him the other day, he is willing to do now BSc.

Ravi has gone through a lot of things at his teenage, if at all his real mom would had been alive, he would not have been in this kind of situation. Like Ravi, there are many kids, who are going through a lot a in their teenage life.There’s more to write, but I think the post has become long.I would like to know all your views on Ravi’s case.