​Man Means Dignity and Sense

Ravi arrived at his aunt’s house this morning for the Janmashtami holiday, accompanied by his friend Vaibhav. Ravi is studying Psychology Honors at Surendranath College, while Vaibhav is studying Physics. He generally dislikes visiting his aunt's house because his cousin, Bhargavi, suffers from Autism,as a result he cannot tolerate her. Ravi is twenty, and Bhargavi is seventeen.
​It was purely out of respect for his parents that he entered the house, bearing a pot of rasgullas (a sweet delicacy).
The moment he stepped inside, Bhargavi swiftly snatched the pot from his hand, tore off the paper covering, and quickly shoved an entire rasgulla into her mouth. The syrup dripped profusely from her hands and face. Placing the pot on a nearby table, she hugged Ravi with her sticky hands and began laughing incoherently. Ravi was already irritated, and Bhargavi’s behavior fueled his anger. He virtually pushed the girl seven feet away and yelled at his aunt:
​"Just because she’s sick, you won’t teach your talented, rude, senseless girl any etiquettes! Such a crass creature ! She ruined my new clothes! Couldn't you have avoided embarrassing me in front of my friend?!"
​His aunt replied in a cold, sorrowful voice, "Put the shirt in the blue bucket in the bathroom; I will wash it."
​Hearing her mother, Bhargavi burst into the same disjointed, loud laughter. In a mix of anger and sorrow, the aunt slapped Bhargavi twice, sharply, and said, "You are so greedy, aren't you! So much greed! Why don't you just eat both of us so we can be free from public humiliation! Now even the nephew I raised doesn't want to come here because of you. If you behave like this, I will send you straight to the asylum. And if you go near them, it will be either your day or mine. Stay locked up in your room all day!"
​She dragged Bhargavi away, and Vaibhav noticed tears welling up in the aunt's eyes.
​A little later, the aunt returned and showed them the upstairs room where they would be staying. The room was larger than the others, thanks to its use as a guest room. It had tiled floors, an attached bathroom, and a hanging balcony. The room contained only a bed, a showcase (on which an old-style TV rested, with storybooks inside), and a picture of Radha and Madhava hanging on the wall.
​They both freshened up one by one.
​Vaibhav said, "I find it surprising that you, a Psychology student, are behaving this way. If some random person had treated that young girl like this, it would be understandable. But what are you going to do with your degree?"
​Ravi said gloomily, "I'm sure my aunt has been pouring out her sorrows to you. Ridiculous!"
​Vaibhav smiled faintly and replied, "We call ourselves human, yet we lack both humanity and sense. The moment a dog approaches a shop, we throw water at it. We exploit those weaker than us just to show our power..."
​"Why are you suddenly..."
​"If your own daughter or sister was like Bhargavi today, you would understand the pain a family has to face. Would you be able to push your own daughter away,especially if you think yourself as the daughter's mother? Or say you were suffering from Autism today, and people ridiculed you—how would your mother feel? No matter what a child is like, every mother suffers when they are spoken ill of. So, you should apologize to your aunt, or else, in my opinion, your study of Psychology is in vain."
​Ravi grew thoughtful and asked, "I will apologize to my aunt for my behavior, but does anyone in your family suffer from this condition?"
​Vaibhav answered in a calm voice, "My mother, who is a singer on All India Radio. Also, search for Jeeja Ghosh on Google; you'll see how highly educated she is,an Indian disability rights activist.—it's difficult for a so called 'normal person'  to achieve such a degree. They only need support, inspiration, and nothing else. In fact, they don't have the kind of melancholy or frustration in their lives that we do. Maybe Bhargavi will also become highly educated and bring glory to all of you."
​Just then, Bhargavi entered the room with a childlike smile on her face, holding a rasgulla from which syrup was dripping onto the tiles. It seemed the aunt had forgotten to lock her in the room.
​Bhargavi, smiling, asked innocently in Bengali, "Mitti khaabe? (Want some sweet?)"
​Ravi ran and hugged her. Even though the syrup and saliva from Bhargavi's mouth smeared his shirt, he did not protest; only tears rolled down his eyes. The guilt he had been suffering from washed away with those tears. The external mess had become trivial to him, for he had now learned to accept Bhargavi from the heart. Bhargavi fed the rasgulla to Ravi.
​A look of peaceful satisfaction spread across Vaibhav's face..