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Atta is the proverbial eldest child –
responsible and protective of his family. At
first glance he appears too young to be a 6th
grader, but when he starts speaking, he seems
too old to be one. He’d like to live in a big
city like Karachi and become a soldier with the
intent of becoming a martyr. He thinks the best
use of life is to die for a cause.
Atta loves watching movies – usually action
movies about wars and conflicts. He can’t
rationalize that his favorite Indian and
American heroes belong to countries that are
“enemies” of his people.
His favorite subject is English – because it
sounds really cool to speak it. Unfortunately he
doesn’t have anyone to practice it with and
there is no library at school.
Atta is super-excited about the new school. He’s
thanked us several times in advance for it. He
has a list of recommendations for the new
school: more sports, better teachers who speak
English, less punishment and a formal Cricket
team.
Halfway through his list, Atta stops abruptly.
His enthusiasm is fast replaced with concern. He
asks me what would happen to his father when the
new school opens up – if all the children attend
the new school, could his father come and work
there as well?
At home, Atta is favored by his mother because
he stands up for her. However Atta himself
favors his father. When I ask why he tells me
“My father’s a worldly man – he has exposure. I
can talk to him about issues. My mother stays at
home – she doesn’t know much”. I ask him if he’d
like to have a wife like his mother. He is
assertive that he’d like his wife to work as a
teacher – a modern thinker in a conservative
society!
Atta’s a conflicted soul. He’s a young boy who
loves playing Cricket, idealizes movie stars and
wants to experience the big city lights. He’s an
impressionable young man who’s worried about his
family and his place in the world, trying to
find a future that will give meaning to his life
and bring honor to his family. He doesn’t know
how he will become a martyr or how to enroll as
a soldier, who the enemy is and what a war
means. But he’s heard there’s glory in
martyrdom. Atta’s on the threshold of making a
choice that will set the course of his life –
lets hope it’s the right one.
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