Interesting Stories

The Why - Why Girl

"But why?"

The girl was small..about ten years old. She was chasing a large snake. I ran after her..dragged her back by her pigtail and shouted.."No..Moina..no!".

"Why?" She asked.

"It's not a grass snake or rat snake. It's a cobra."

"Why shouldn't I catch a cobra?"

"Why should you?"

"We eat snakes..you know. The head you chop off..the skin you sell..the meat you cook."

"Not this time."

"I will. I will.

" No..child!"

" But why?"

I dragged her back to the Samiti office where Moina's mother..Ruby..was weaving a basket." Come..rest a little, " I said.

" Why?"

" Why not? Aren't you tired?"

Moina shook her head." Who will bring the Babu's goats home?"

Ruby said.." Don't forget to thank the babu for the rice he sent."

"Why? Didn't I have to sweep the cowshed and do a thousand jobs for him? Did he thank me? Why should I thank him?"

Moina ran off..Ruby shook her head. " Never saw a child like this. All she keeps saying is 'why'. The village postman calls her the 'why-why girl'."

" I like her."

Moina was a sabar*..and most sabars were poor and landless. But other sabars never complained. Only Moina's questions were endless.

" Why do I have to walk miles to the river for water? Why do we live in a leaf hut? Why can't we eat rice twice a day?"

Moina was goathered of the village babus..but she was neither humble nor grateful to her employers. She did her work and came home..muttering" Why should I eat their leftovers? I will cook a delicious meal with a green leaves and rice and crabs and chilli powder in the evening and eat with the family."

Krishna..our samiti teacher..told me.."She'll exhaust you with her 'whys'."

What a time I had that October! "Why do I have to graze the babu's goats? His boys can do it themselves. Why can't fish speak? Why do the stars look so small if many of them are bigger than the sun?"

And every night.." Why do you read a book before you go to sleep?"

"Because books have the answers to your whys!"

For once..Moina was silent. She tidied the room and gave fish to her mongoose. Then she said.."I'll learn to read and get to know the answers to my questions."

She would graze the goats and tell the other children all she had learnt from me. "Many stars are bigger than the sun. They live far away..so they look small. The sun is nearer..so it looks bigger...The fish do not speak to us. They have a fish language..which is silent..The earth is round..did you know that?"

When I returned to the village a year later..the first thing I heard was Moina's voice." Why is the school closed? " she challenged krishna as she entered the samiti school..dragging a bleating goat.

" What do you mean..Why?"

" Why shouldn't I study too?"

"Who's stopping you?"

"But there's no class!"

"School is over."

Moina stamped her feet and said "Why can't you change the hours? I have to graze the babu's goats in the morning. I can only come after eleven. If you don't teach..how will I learn? None of us..goatherds and cowherds..can come if the hours are not changed."

The sabars do not usually send their daughters to work. But Moina's mother was lame..her father had gone faraway jamshedpur in search of work and her brother..goro..went to the forest to collect firewood. So moina had to work.

That October I stayed at the samiti for a month. One morning..moina declared that she would move into the samiti hut with me.

"Why not?" she argued. "It's a big hut.. How much space does one person need? I'll come after work."

And she came with a change of clothes and a baby mongoose. "It eats very little and chases away the bad snakes" she said. " i catch the good snakes and give to mother. She makes curry. I'll bring some for you."

I went to moina's hut in the evening. Nestling close to the kitchen fire..moina was telling her little sister and elder brother.."you cut one tree and plant another two. You wash your hands before you eat ; you'll get stomach pain if you don't. You know nothing -- do you know why? Because you don't attend samiti classes."

Who do you think was the first girl to be admitted to the village primary school?

Moina.

Moina was eighteen now..she teaches at the samiti school.

If you go to the school..you're sure to hear her impatient..demanding voice.."don't be lazy. Ask me questions. Ask me why mosquitoes should be destroyed..WHY the pole star is always in the north sky."

And other children..too..are learning to ask 'why'.

Thankyou very much for reading this. 'I' is no one in this story. It's just a imaginary story!

Tell me what moral did you learned from this story? I will give the correct moral answer in the next story!

Love ya!