Gurugram school episode holds a mirror to our society

Much is being talked about, written about the poor little boy who was attacked and murdered in Ryan International School, Gurugram. The fact that this was an unlicensed conductor. That he didn’t have police verification. That over 200 school buses have been impounded because they didn’t have the requisite conductor. That some schools say they didn’t even know any of this was a requirement. Government rules state that the conductor has to minimum have passed Class 10. This conductor had not.

Honestly, all of this is noise that clouds the actual issue. If there is police verification and a robbery is committed, then, alright, a case can be made. But if there is a rape or murder, does police verification really matter? Had this conductor been Class 10 pass, would he have done differently? Had he a police verification, would it have averted the crime? The honest answer to these questions is a simple ‘no’. It is not only a matter of too little too late. It is a matter of too little in the wrong place and time.

The real issue has roots much earlier, in the upbringing of our youth. Our education, whether at home or in the school system, has to go beyond simple math and science. We need a much deeper education that teaches empathy, respect. And most importantly, that breaking rules is not an option.

From the little things — put that seat belt on, don’t jump a red light, throw your own litter into a trash can — to the bigger kinds of respect. Respecting public spaces and people outside your little world. When you see a woman or foreigner, don’t stare. If someone needs help, step forward. Just little things. Because these are the things which will prevent the world of others from collapsing. Will encourage someone from coming to the aid of a victim, or, hopefully, a potential victim.

Even if a man has never been to school, he should still know from his upbringing that he should respect children, women, and indeed animals and the world around him. The person who rapes and kills a child is the person who is likely to hit his wife and kick a passing dog. It is a mindset. And no set of rules and regulations is going to improve that.

It is a father who never hits his wife, it is a child who grows up seeing his parents never breaking rules, it is a teacher who respects the children she teaches and never belittles them. It is the family that treats people who are poorer or different without discrimination. It is that child who is least likely to indulge in heinous crimes. I honestly think that goodness can be taught through example and one’s actions.

Many years ago, there was a poet who recited his poem on wanting to have a drink. He said he had vowed to have a drink only if that day’s newspaper did not carry a story about rape, molestation or dowry death. He went on to recite that it had been years and not once had he managed a drink, because not one day was the newspaper free of these gory incidents.

This poem, and I am sorry to admit that I don’t remember who the poet was, had a deep impact on me. Every day, even now, I scan the papers, hoping the poet can have his drink. But till today, there has never been a ‘clean newspaper’.

Am I being naïve in thinking that someone who doesn’t break the little rules is unlikely to break the bigger ones? Maybe, but I have faith in upbringing and in humanity. Even though there are so many reasons not to. Even though that poor poet is still waiting to have his drink.

The author is a popular writer of fiction for children and young adults. She is the recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Bal Puraskar for 2017