The other day as I left DBSM, Bengaluru I was at the portico (under construction) making a couple of calls. At a little distance was a little girl there trying to open a coco-cola tin. I realised she was using her thumb to press in the lid. Just as I began to tell her to pull up the ring rather than press it in, she forced her thumb into the can! In the process she injured her thumb and looking up at me she smiled. She then began to suck her thumb. After a couple of minutes I looked up from my 'phone-world' to see if the girl was feeling better about her thumb, she generously offered the coco-cola can, saying, "Let's share!" Honestly I was very touched. But since I do not drink soft drinks, I politely declined, stating that I do not have a habit of drinking soft drinks. She was quite surprised and then solemnly declared, "आदत डाल लेनी चाहीऐ !" (You should form that habit!) This time it was my turn to smile!!
Two things, perhaps contrary nonetheless very revealing: the generosity of the child (retention of innocence) and the conviction that coco-cola is a healthy habit (immersion in modern culture).
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