The pity of it all

 I would not know whether you have read the First World War poetry. Truly shell-shocked poetry it is! Absolutely 'not to be missed' is Wilfred Owen's "Strange Meeting".  In the final stanza, the poem has this unmistakable, and unforgettable, line, "the pity of it all/the pity the war distilled".

Well, in this weird mosaic called human life, there are very many situations and contexts that would deserve the soubriquet"the pity of it all". The family with a child with the Down's Syndrome undoubtedly deserves this compassion.

For the 'New Indian Express', I had written this series about women and certain 'dis-eases'. One of the themes was girls with the Down's syndrome. I interviewed a few families to make my article truly sensitive. I remember even now the cold, moist touch of this girl who had this syndrome. There was an almost infantile (yes, that is 'the' word) innocence, nay, naivete, in the  rather plump (and quite hard) hold over my wrist. 

 In that moment, I understood all the positivities of the always child like adolescent with the syndrome, and the difficulties, doubts, despairs of the family. Why, her own sister grumbled to me of how her fate gets 'tied' up in multiple ways. Honestly, I felt as if I was looking in to a deep well that had crystal clear water, but the well had no bottom!

Indeed unique is the personality with this feature. A few are gifted in their own unique ways. I have seen the trailer of a 2019 film entitled "The Peanut Butter Falcon". Seems to treat with sensitivity and genial fun the ambition of an affected runaway to become a wrestler.  

Most of them are like Jhilmil in the 2012 film "Burfi". If they are lucky enough to meet a considerate person, life can be good. Mostly, however, unfortunately, it is hardly so. In this wicked world of ours, they are often taken advantage of. Why, I had mothers, as well as government officers, advocating uterine removal of such girls as they would not even know/manage how to keep themselves clean, it seems.

While collecting data to make my article as rounded as possible, I visited a 'home' for such adults with the syndrome. As their health was okay, their parents seemed sick with worries about their future after their own demise, given the thin sibling bond!  

Indeed, the situation deserves the title, 'the pity of it all'. One understands the complexity of the context. The caregivers' careers are tough too. The individuals with Down's Syndrome are taught occupational skills which might get them a tangential employment. Yet in this world of ours, where brilliance often gets sidelined, what difficulties would these people face, right? 

Never ever  should one  stop thanking the Life Force, God, however you may define it,  for a so-called normal life, and the parents for enriching it in multiple ways. In humility  lies honesty, or vice versa!

Pratima@Indeed how many problems are there in this wide world of ours! And truly how miniscule are our grumpy grumbles in the face of battles people fight every second!