Understanding ‘The child is father of the man’

At school, I was a regular participant in speech and debate contests.  Once the topic for an inter school speech contest was given as ‘The son is the father of the man’.  My English teacher explained that it is an adaptation of the famous line ‘The child is father of the man’ in William Wordsworth’s poem ‘My heart leaps up’.

I could not relate to the topic initially and was about to pull out.  The teacher convinced me to give it a try and referred me to some other teachers handling literature. My father put me in touch with some College professors.  I understood that as poems go, this one could have multiple interpretations.  I eventually delivered the speech, arguing that not only one’s childhood views shapes the views as an adult, but that it can also show the man, the adult, how to view the world. I was not very happy with my arguments at that time though I strongly felt the sentiment.  Since then, the incident and the phrase have stayed in my memory.

In the last few days, I had been mulling a lot over the events in the country and role of youth in the protests on the CAA and NRC.  Then, out of the blue, the phrase came back to me.

And I feel I now understand better how ‘The child is father of the man’ when

*My 21-year old nephew who had sacrificed his vacation to work on his project, travels 50 km from his college hostel to take part in the protest. He messages me saying he will share his live location in case he gets detained.  To a panicked me, he calmly assures that he is aware of what and why he is doing, and that he and his friends are clear they will not be part of any violence and will step away at the sign of any violence.  There was none, and he tersely reports in the night that he is back in the hostel and getting on with his project.

I can now make better sense of how ‘The child is father of the man’ when

*I read the articles and opinion pieces, written by students in simple English with no insinuating words.  Their ‘Why’s’ sting me harshly much more than that of any accomplished writer.

I start to firmly believe in ‘The child is father of the man’ when

*In the family what’s app groups and dining table discussions, the youth politely point out the ‘ad hominem’ arguments, call out the fallacies, but always maintaining the respect and love for the elders.

And I see how ‘The child is father of the man’ when

*On Christmas day, our family is cuddled in a famous bakery in Indiranagar discussing the current affairs, and two girls walk in.  They go to each table, apologising for the interruption and quietly hand over a slip.  I read the warm season’s greetings on one side and the preamble of the constitution printed at the back.   

I rush out and ask one of the girls if I can get them a cup of hot drink; she politely declines saying they have yet to cover a few more blocks before the nightfall. And then she shyly smiles and says a hug would be great. I hug her and we stay that way for a few seconds. I feel pumped with loads of the Christmas cheer and spirits. 

As I write this, I feel the anguish of the past few weeks in me getting washed away, replaced by faith in our youth, and hope for 'our' future and 'their' future.  It is with this beacon of hope that I step into the new year, 2020!