My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it,” said that great American writer and humorist Mark Twain. I agree and I am sure all mothers will agree. However, there is a caveat. The trouble Mark Twain had mentioned should not be such that the son should kill some one or break the bones. In such a case of trouble, no mother would support her son much less enjoy unless she is a rakshasi ! I am also wondering what would a father do in such a situation where son becomes a rogue, perverse and an anti-social element. In short, an urban lumpen that we find among the rich and powerful children of politicians, bureaucrats or wealthy businessmen. For example, like it happened in the case of N.A. Haris, a Congress MLA, whose son Mohammed Nalapad was arrested for a criminal offence and who is now cooling his heels in jail under judicial custody. Since the nature of his crime and its gravity is known to the people following a blitzkrieg of a publicity in all media and also heard its echo in the Assembly, I will not inflict a repetition. However, what moved me was the deeply hurt feeling of Mohammed Nalapad’s father, Haris which he expressed in the Assembly offering an apology. “I tender an apology if the incident involving my son has affected the dignity of the house and pride of its members,” he had said. As a lateral thought I would say the word “if” takes away the veracity and the ingenuous nature of the apology. A sort of take it “if ” or ignore it “if not.” As a father of a very young son aged 24, it is obvious his public conduct and behaviour is bound to vitiate the dignity of the Assembly of which the father is a honourable member. Be that as it may, the father Haris, MLA, had to face an embarrassing situation because of his son. Many questions arise. Did he fail to bring-up his son in a civilised and cultured way with proper education? That way, he has the vicarious responsibility for his son’s behaviour in this context. Let it be.
