Shock

I shocked myself yesterday.

At the children’s soft-play venue:

She: Hi! What’s your son’s name?

Me: Its ‘Rishi’

She: Oh, I know the name. Are you Indian?

Me: Yes (pleased)

She (to her son, the birthday boy): Give Rasheed a slice of cake

Me: (horrified) Its not Rasheed. Its Rishi.

She: Yeah, I got it. Rasheed, would you like some cake?

Me: Its R-I-S-H-I

She: Still gives a piece of cake.

Me: Rishi, say ‘Thank you’.

And then we part ways. I am still flustered about my son being called ‘Rasheed’. For all my thoughts of being tolerant and broad-minded, I still hated being thought of as a Muslim.

And realised that as long as we have this divide ingrained in us, ‘world peace’ can remain only a fancy term and nothing more.