32 • MODULE SIX: COPING WITH EMOTIONS
His father was away in Mumbai working in a small factory. It was hard work but he could send
money home for his family. Ashok had a sister, Meena, who was ten. His mother worked as a
cleaning maid in the nearby houses. It was a lot of hard work for her, but she was very keen to
make enough money so that her children would receive a good education.
Ashok’s father had last come home six months ago. That time he had a little fever and diarrhea
that cleared up with some medicine. When other people came from Mumbai, they would bring
messages to Ashok and his family that the father was well except for a bit of cough that was not
going away. No one worried, thinking that unlike the small town where Ashok lived, there were
many doctors in the city who would take care of his father’s ailment.
One day his father came home unannounced. He said he was very sick and finding it difficult to
work. His employer had told him to go home and come back when he was better. Ashok’s mother
was worried and scared. That whole night she was up talking to his father.
The next morning for the first time Ashok saw his mother and father fighting. A great deal of tears
flowed and many words were spoken. One word he heard was AIDS. He tried to ask his mother
what was wrong with his father but she kept saying it was nothing, that everything would be fine.
He had heard about it in school. He was frightened and that day he did not enjoy his cricket at all.Review- How is HIV transmitted?
- Is there a cure?
- What were the reactions of Ashok’s mother?
- What did Ashok feel?
- What feelings do people have when they know they have HIV? When someone they know has HIV?
(Point out to the children that the first reaction of a life threatening illness like HIV is usually denial.) - What should Ashok do?
(Ask the children what will happen next. Take some of their suggestions and move on.)
Part two
Ashok’s father lay on a cot and lost weight day-by-day. He was very irritable. He would not eat. The
mother kept saying that nothing was wrong. The neighbors would whisper and quickly go past the
house and the friends he liked began to avoid playing with him. Those were sad times. His mother
was always tired of looking after his father and working all day. She was also always going to the
government hospital. She was getting sick too. Ashok would run away from his house; he was
doing badly at school and getting into a lot of fights. His best friend Vinod did not know what to do.
His sister would come to him because she was worried about what was happening. One day his
father died. No one came to mourn. Only his mother ran from pillar to post to get the body
cremated. He helped her get everything ready. It was a sad day for the family.