Finally, Action on 26/11

Nine-year-old Uchil Raj, a fourth standard student from St Francis High School, Mumbai, yesterday did his parents proud by doing something about 26/11.

Said a beaming Sachin Raj, his 32-year-old father, “I had returned from work. No sooner had I stepped into the house than I noticed a change. The television was off and Uchil was sitting at a corner table, hunched over his notebook. From the corner of my eye, I saw my wife Madhavi putting a finger on her lips. She was telling me to not make any noise. I realised that Uchil was doing something really important.”

Madhavi recounted what had happened. “I was watching CNN-IBN in the afternoon and there was Rajdeep Sardesai repeatedly asking Chidambaram, ‘Tell me honestly, what have you done about 26/11, what have you done about 26/11, tell me honestly, honestly, have you done anything about 26/11, honestly now, what what what have you done about 26/11.’ Uchil had by then just come in from school and I saw him looking fixedly at the screen.”

According to her, Uchil was decidedly unconvinced by Chidambaram’s answer that he had sent four dossiers to Pakistan, improved infrastructure and intelligence, and that war was not an option. “He had that strange look in his eyes,” said Madhavi. “He told me, ‘Amma, enough is enough. If no one else can do anything, I will do something about 26/11.’”

After Sachin returned home, both parents waited with bated breath as Uchil kept writing in his notebook. Around 10pm, he raised his head and told them, “It’s done.”

He called them over and said, “See, if you multiply 11 by 2, it’s 22. Remember 2. That’s the first part of the answer. 26-22=4. What I did was put a 0 after the 4. But what Chidambaram perhaps did not know was that you have to put a decimal point when you add a zero. Now, remember 11 multiplied by 3 is 33. Now, that’s the second part of the answer. So, all I do is add .3 to the 2, which we’ve already got. It’s important to have the decimal point.”
Uchil then scribbled the answer: 26/11=2.3.

Sachin and Madhavi say they were overwhelmed by the occasion. “I am not saying this because he’s my son,” said Sachin. “But I always knew he would do something to make his country proud.”

Nine-year-old Uchil Raj, a fourth standard student from St Francis High School, Mumbai, yesterday did his parents proud by doing something about 26/11.

Said a beaming Sachin Raj, his 32-year-old father, “I had returned from work. No sooner had I stepped into the house than I noticed a change. The television was off and Uchil was sitting at a corner table, hunched over his notebook. From the corner of my eye, I saw my wife Madhavi putting a finger on her lips. She was telling me to not make any noise. I realised that Uchil was doing something really important.”

Madhavi recounted what had happened. “I was watching CNN-IBN in the afternoon and there was Rajdeep Sardesai repeatedly asking Chidambaram, ‘Tell me honestly, what have you done about 26/11, what have you done about 26/11, tell me honestly, honestly, have you done anything about 26/11, honestly now, what what what have you done about 26/11.’ Uchil had by then just come in from school and I saw him looking fixedly at the screen.”

According to her, Uchil was decidedly unconvinced by Chidambaram’s answer that he had sent four dossiers to Pakistan, improved infrastructure and intelligence, and that war was not an option. “He had that strange look in his eyes,” said Madhavi. “He told me, ‘Amma, enough is enough. If no one else can do anything, I will do something about 26/11.’”

After Sachin returned home, both parents waited with bated breath as Uchil kept writing in his notebook. Around 10pm, he raised his head and told them, “It’s done.”

He called them over and said, “See, if you multiply 11 by 2, it’s 22. Remember 2. That’s the first part of the answer. 26-22=4. What I did was put a 0 after the 4. But what Chidambaram perhaps did not know was that you have to put a decimal point when you add a zero. Now, remember 11 multiplied by 3 is 33. Now, that’s the second part of the answer. So, all I do is add .3 to the 2, which we’ve already got. It’s important to have the decimal point.”
Uchil then scribbled the answer: 26/11=2.3.

Sachin and Madhavi say they were overwhelmed by the occasion. “I am not saying this because he’s my son,” said Sachin. “But I always knew he would do something to make his country proud.”

About The Author

Madhavankutty Pillai

Madhavankutty Pillai has no specialisations whatsoever. He is among the last of the generalists. And also Open chief of bureau, Mumbai  

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