Scene: The front balcony in the morning. Kymaia is lounging in the sun after her run and chess, and reading the newspaper (we only read headlines as yet; we shall graduate to the smaller print later sometime in this year) as she waits for her Marathi class with Alka Aji.Kym: ‘How do these people know the news, Baba?’
Baba: ‘They have special people called journalists that go and gather the news from across the world. These people travel, meet others, ask questions, photograph, and send back the news of the world. The editor then decides which one is important as well as urgent and where it should be printed in the newspaper based on its importance and urgency. Then, the publisher prints it and we receive the paper to read.’
Kym: ‘How do we know they are telling the truth? Sorry, I am asking too many questions today, Baba.’
Baba: ‘Not at all. I hope more people around the world asked themselves this very question: How can I be sure that what the newspapers and magazines, television and social media tell me is true? The world would indeed have been a better place’
Kym: ‘Baba, I want to be an editor when I grow up.’
Baba: ‘Why not a journalist?’
Kym: ‘Because the editor decides what to print and where to print. So, she must be really really smart to be able to tell what is true, what is important, and what is urgent. I want to be smart.’
Baba: ‘I don’t know about smart, Kym. There are many smart people in the world. I am sure you are smart and will only grow smarter as you grow. My fond hope is that you remain this honest, for it is integrity that is lacking today, not intelligence.’
Kym: ‘I didn’t understand this, Baba.’
Baba: ‘Don’t worry. You will. When you grow up.’
#LearningWithKymaia
