Being a Tarantino fan, I admired the myriad violence and drug abuse scenes in his films. But after having seen a kid in my neighbourhood get addicted to drugs, I have changed my mind.
This kid, about 13 years old, was working in a cycle shop doing petty jobs such as patching up punctured tyres to support his family. One day, on my way back home I spotted him inhaling chemical vapours arising from rubbing his hands. This put him in a state of delirium that took a couple of hours to wear off.
The next day, when I asked him about it, he said that it was a chemical used to mend holes in cycle tubes and that inhaling it made him feel better. On hearing this, I was extremely disturbed because I saw the state he was in when he spoke to me: his eyes downcast, hands and legs trembling in search for more drugs. That's when I realised the sinister effects that drugs could have on the human body.
That kid was living a childhood fraught with despondency as opposed to the cheerful lives led by his peers. Who is to be blamed? In my opinion, it’s not the kid but his parents are to be blamed. Family set up has a long lasting, prominent role in the formative years of a child’s life. Parental love and guidance are more important than anything else to set the child in the right path. If he’s denied it, then the child takes the wrong path.
SATHISH KUMAR MOHAN, 23, Software Engineer
