You do live in a multi-racial society here. Do you have any problems with the children as they go through rebellious stages, distancing themselves somewhat from your community? Yes, that is correct. That is an everyday problem we face because the values are so different now. Previously they were not so different.
Although it was a multi-racial society even then, I am talking of the old days when I was here, yet the values of your culture were very close to our values. In many ways they were even higher placed because of your traditional pride in certain etiquette and things. So the chasm between was not that much. Now it is so much that the parents keep worrying about their children, what they would learn from the school behaviour and so on.
They try to bring them closer to the community repeatedly so that whatever they have learnt, or the wrong things, should be unlearned in that process. And to some measure we are successful because I keep hearing from certain headmasters and mistresses that the boys or girls belonging to your community behave very well, differently from others. So that compliments a source of satisfaction to me that we are succeeding. But not entirely.
There are certain cases which are so deeply influenced and we begin to see the signs, you know, their dressing and things, and sometimes the shaving of the head and things. All these are indications that the boy is really shifting away. And the girls sometimes, occasionally. So we try to call them back to persuasion, but if they have decided to walk out, we can’t do anything about it. That’s that.
