India,
The Earth,
The Solar System,
Universe.
22nd January 2010.

Dear God,


I do not even know what to call you. The Hindus call u ‘Bhagwaan’, Muslims call you ‘Allah’ and Christians, Jesus. Different people, Different faiths, different gods? But the term ‘Gods’ sounds a bit too unfeasible. I am not sure what name to call you by so I will stick to just ‘God’.


I am Shailja…But why should I tell you? Mamma says that you have created me, created all of us. Therefore, u must already know me. However, I have reasons to doubt your credibility. Whenever my sister and I fight, Mamma and Papa come and stop us. I remember Papa once telling me that you are everyone’s Papa. So that makes you the Big Papa. Now, that we are all fighting against our very own brethren, why don’t you come down and stop us? Everyday I read in the newspaper about what they call “The Oz attacks” and the “Marathi Madness”. We keep fighting against our siblings and our cousins. But you Big Papa, you never come to stop us. Mamma does not allow my sister and me to hit each other. How can you let your children kill each other? What has kept you so busy up there, which has made you forget that we need to be taught a lesson or two? Have you forgotten your children?


We are fools, Big Papa. We are your silly children. However, you are the veteran, the master player. Why are you watching everything so quietly? It is not a movie where there will certainly be a happy end. On the contrary, we may end up ripping apart each other’s life and soul. Rather, we are already doing it. We have become heartless enough that we do not even shudder while we spill the blood of other earthly beings, the blood of our family. But you Father, cannot turn a cold shoulder towards us. You cannot do it to us, your children.


Please, Big Papa, come down. We need you. Scold us. Thrash us. If that is what it will take to bring us back on the right track, do it, please. Give us punishments and detentions. Knock some sense into us. Come down, Big Papa. Please…
Your daughter,
Shailja