When Grammar Met Clarity

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Writing has always fascinated me. It’s such an interesting aspect of communication; you can pretty much convey anything you want, in any way you want. Even a grammatically incorrect sentence can carry its full meaning. Yet, somewhere along the way, we began mistaking good communication for intelligence. “Oh, he writes and speaks so well.  He must be smart.” Good communication can create a false sense of technical pride. I grew up believing that grammatical precision was the measure of knowledge. But in hindsight, that wasn’t entirely me; it was my teachers. They were absolutely particular that every sentence not only conveyed meaning, but also respected the sanctity of grammar. A misplaced article or preposition could invite the harshest of corrections. Yesterday, my wife and I were talking about writing and as all conversations these days eventually do, it veered toward our kids’ writing. We were laughing over Sahana’s recent schoolwork: a delightful mix of humor, dialogue, and im...
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The quick witted

We get to interact with different kinds of people on a day to day basis.  Add a few kids to the mix, the interaction level changes completely.  It's always fun to get down to their level and have a nice discussion.  There is always a takeaway at the end of it; it's always a pleasant experience.  Their depth of interest in things always leaves me dumbfounded.  "How do kids pick up that? How can they be so smart and intelligent?"

Anyway, to cut a long story short, as we were house hopping for Navarathri, I happened to meet a cute little girl over the weekend at my wife's friend's place.  Kids are adorable, and this one was no different.  She was like a bullet train, asking million questions a second, expecting you to keep pace with her and belt out the answers.  She is just six years old.

"So, you and my father are school classmates?", she asked me.

Nope, I replied.

"Oh, so you and my mother are classmates?", she turned to my wife.

"Yes", she replied

"What about you?", she asked me again.

"I am sorry.  I have never been to a school", I said with a straight face.

"Oh, you have never been to school? Do you know how much you can learn in school? How come your parents didn't say anything?"

I know I missed a lot in life, I said truthfully.  I mean, we always miss things in life irrespective of time and age.

"So, you don't know geology? You don't know anything about rocks?", she asked.

"I don't know about anything.  In any case, how is studying about rocks helpful?", I asked.

Anyway, we went back and forth, and she always came up with witty questions, as well as repartees.  If there is one thing I enjoy, it's interacting with a bunch of little kids.  Time just flies.

After some time, she ran inside and got some chocolates.  She put one on my wife's plate.  Then, she came to me.  She carefully unwrapped the cover and placed the Hershey's kisses on my plate.

My wife and I looked at each other.  My wife grimaced.  Obviously, I was a benefit of the kid's largesse.  In fact, my wife gave me that look of "You asked her all the dumb questions and yet she gives you preferential treatment".  I was all smiles.

Then, I asked her, "Thanks for unwrapping the cover.  Why did you not do that to aunty?"

So, she replies.

"Aunty is educated.  She can do everything on her own.  But you are not like that.  You haven't gone to school and you need a lot of guidance.  That's why I am helping you out."

The room was in fits.  I couldn't control my laughter.

I did what any other person in my position would have done.

I gave her a warm hug. 

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