Monsters Inc.

 Childhood.

Well. Childhood comes with many plug-ins. Freedom of expression,  of joy, of fear, of wants, of likes, of dislikes and most importantly, of excretion. 

And since there is so much freedom, a control mechanism is needed to rein in the kids. 

And thus originated the class of childhood monsters! A group of fictional (and sometimes non-fictional beings) capable of scaring a child, shushing him/her to sleep. They go by varying names in varying languages- 'habu'; 'burha'; 'mur-katta'; 'dadhi-wala' (the bearded one) and many others (Of course I have now forgotten what my monster was called!). Even the great Gabbar Singh aspired to be one among them!

This post of mine is aimed at revealing one other group of 'characters' that fit into this 'monster scheme of things'. And if you have guessed it right, then, well... you guessed it right! It is the Doctors! Don't you remember how your mother/granny used to admonish you that they would take you to the doctor if you acted naughty? Or your mother wants a day off alone and pretends to go to the doctor to get injections for her tummy ache?

Well, I graduated into this class three years back. Even before that it was not too different when I was in medical school. The instant a kid sets his/her eyes on me the following words are ingrained into his/her mind: "This fellow is a daktar! So, no naughty business or he will spike you with injections". (I have heard these lines so many times that I sometimes surreptitiously check my pockets just to assure myself that I am not carrying these incriminating items.) And then however hard I try, the kid stays away. 

There are some who are adventurous enough. They ask, " Are you really a doctor?" I invariably answer "No, do I look like one?" But they see through my words. And God help me if I am to really give an injection to a kid. He might not talk to me his whole lifetime.

And then there are various kind of injections- injections to increase one's appetite, injections that shut the mouth, injections that make you good at studies, injections that make you behave well, injections...

Oh, Excuse me! My scaring presence is needed urgently in the dining room where a cousin (twice removed) is refusing his meals. 

I just hope that when I have a kid of my own, my parents don't tell him," Look, he is a doctor! No naughty business or he'll give you an injection!"

PS: Post title derived from the animated movie with the same name.