TRUE PROMISE
Author: Unknown

How long will you be poring over that newspaper? Will you come
here  right away and make your darling daughter eat her food?"
I tossed the paper away and rushed to the scene. My only daughter
Sindu looked frightened. Tears were welling up in her eyes. In
front  of her was a bowl filled to its brim with Curd Rice.
Sindu is a nice child, quite intelligent for her age. She has
just turned eight. She particularly detested Curd Rice.
My mother and my wife are orthodox and believe firmly in the 'cooling  effects' of Curd
Rice. I cleared my throat and picked up the bowl.
 "Sindu, darling, why don't you take a few mouthful of this Curd
Rice?  Just for Dad's sake, dear. If you don't, your Mom will
thout at me."

I could sense my wife's scowl behind my back. Sindu softened a
bit and  wiped her tears with the back of her hands. "OK, Dad. I
will eat not just a few mouthfuls, but the whole lot of this.
 But, you should..." Sindu hesitated. "Dad, if I eat this entire
Curd  Rice, will you give me whatever I ask for?"
 "Oh sure, darling."
 "Promise?"
 "Promise."
 I covered the pink soft hand extended by my daughter with mine
and  clinched the deal.
 "Ask Mom also to give a similar promise," my daughter insisted.
 My wife slapped her hand on Sindu's
muttering "Promise," without any emotion.
 Now I became a bit anxious. "Sindu, you shouldn't insist on
getting a  computer or any such expensive items. Dad does not have
that kind of  money right now. OK?"
 "No, Dad. I do not want anything expensive."

Slowly and painfully, she finished eating the whole quantity.
 I was silently angry with my wife and my mother for forcing my
child  to eat something that she detested.
 After the ordeal was through, Sindu came to me with her eyes
wide with expectation. All of our attention was on her.
 "Dad, I want
to have my head shaved off this Sunday," was her demand!
 "Atrocious!" shouted my wife, "a girl child having her head
shaved  off? Impossible!"
 "Never in our family!" my mother rasped. "She has been watching
too  much of television. Our culture is getting totally spoiled
with these  TV programs!"
 "Sindu, why don't you ask for something else? We will be sad
seeing  you with a clean-shaven head."
 "No, Dad. I do not want anything else," Sindu said with
finality.
 "Please Sindu, why don't you try to understand our feelings?" I
tried to plead with her.
 "Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat that Curd
Rice," Sindu was in tears. "And you promised to grant me whatever
I ask for.
Now, you are going back on your words.
 Was it not you who told me the story of King Harishchandra and
its  moral that we should honor our promises no matter what?"
 It was time for me to call the shots. "Our promise must be
kept."
 "Are you out your mind?" chorused my mother and wife.
 "No. If we go back on our promises, she will never learn to
honour her own. Sindu, your wish will be fulfilled."
With her head clean-shaven, Sindu had a round-face, and her eyes  
looked big and beautiful.
On Monday morning, I dropped her at her school. It was a sight to  
watch my hairless Sindu walking towards her classroom. She turned
around and waved.
 
 I waved back with a smile. Just then, a boy alighted from a car,
and  shouted, "Sinduja, please wait for me!"
What struck me was the hairless head of that boy.
 "Maybe that is the 'in' stuff," I thought.
 "Sir, your daughter Sinduja is great indeed!"
 Without introducing herself, a lady got out of the car, and  
continued, "That boy who is walking along with your daughter is  
my son amar. He is suffering from leukemia."
 She paused to muffle her sobs. "amar could not attend the  
school for the whole of the last month. He lost all of his hair
due to  the side effects of the chemotherapy. He refused to come
back  to school fearing the unintentional but cruel teasing of
the  schoolmates.
 "Sinduja visited him last week and promised him that she will  
take care of the teasing issue. But I never imagined she would  
sacrifice her lovely hair for the sake of my son! Sir, you and
your wife are blessed to have such a noble soul as your daughter."
I stood transfixed. And
then, I wept.
"My little Angel, will you teach me what love is?"