I have been noticing that these days a wide range of external stimuli ellicit the same response in me. Any small thing reminds me of my childhood. It turns into a chain reaction, with one memory turning the key of another locked-up memory.
Our father being an electronic engineer terms like voltage, resistance, capacitor were commonly used at home. My brother and i used to sit and gaze at our dad while he used to work on some electronic equipment. Many a times he used to ask us to get a specific screw-driver or a line-tester and both of us used to run and get it. A soldering iron used to arouse a lot of curiosity and fright in me. Abbu used to keep it in a corner and gave us strict instructions to stay away from it. I observed that a silver coloured wire (solder) melts when brought in contact with it and emanates a burning smell. I used to love that smell. One day after abbu finished his work i went and touched the soldering iron. It was warm. I guessed it must have been a lot more hotter 15 mins back. After that day i was never scared of the soldering iron.
What happened next was a shock for me. Affy screamed and ran out of the room crying. For a moment i thought he was trying to fool me. Then reluctantly i touched the soldering iron. It was HOT. I had not noticed my father switching it on for some work. I got so scared that i will get a good thrashing from my parents. I gathered the courage to go to the next room where all the elders were attending to Affy. He was hardly 4 yrs old (i was 6) , poor baby could not even complain that i asked him to hold the soldering iron. And i was not brave enough to own it. I told myself that i didnt do it purposely. I didnt want to hurt him. In my heart i said sorry to him and asked him to forgive me.
Hmmm. I m sorry Affy. I m sure you dont remember this incident now. Believe me it can be counted as one of the first traumatic incidents in your life.
Our father being an electronic engineer terms like voltage, resistance, capacitor were commonly used at home. My brother and i used to sit and gaze at our dad while he used to work on some electronic equipment. Many a times he used to ask us to get a specific screw-driver or a line-tester and both of us used to run and get it. A soldering iron used to arouse a lot of curiosity and fright in me. Abbu used to keep it in a corner and gave us strict instructions to stay away from it. I observed that a silver coloured wire (solder) melts when brought in contact with it and emanates a burning smell. I used to love that smell. One day after abbu finished his work i went and touched the soldering iron. It was warm. I guessed it must have been a lot more hotter 15 mins back. After that day i was never scared of the soldering iron.
the weapon....
Of what use is any knowledge if its not applied anywhere?
So, i decided to scare one of my cousins who had come to our place during our summer vacation. Poor boy didnt know anything about the weird equipments lying all over our house. It was a dull sunday morning. My brother (i call him Cat), my cousin (Affy) and i were playing. I noticed my brother leaving the room. Now Affy and me were alone. I asked him to come to the corner of the room where the soldering iron was kept. Next, i asked him to hold it (of course from the non-insulated side). A few minutes back i had touched it to check whether it was at normal temperature. My purpose was both to scare and surprise him with my knowledge of such complicated gadgets. Affy was a little apprehensive and he declined to come near it. Somehow i managed to cajole him and finally he caught it.What happened next was a shock for me. Affy screamed and ran out of the room crying. For a moment i thought he was trying to fool me. Then reluctantly i touched the soldering iron. It was HOT. I had not noticed my father switching it on for some work. I got so scared that i will get a good thrashing from my parents. I gathered the courage to go to the next room where all the elders were attending to Affy. He was hardly 4 yrs old (i was 6) , poor baby could not even complain that i asked him to hold the soldering iron. And i was not brave enough to own it. I told myself that i didnt do it purposely. I didnt want to hurt him. In my heart i said sorry to him and asked him to forgive me.
Hmmm. I m sorry Affy. I m sure you dont remember this incident now. Believe me it can be counted as one of the first traumatic incidents in your life.
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