Fox News blames it on capitalism. [Fox News] (tip Jennie via email)

10 year old girl in Calcutta brings iPod to school. 14 year old boy wants iPod. 10 year old girl refuses to comply. Boy pushes girl off a bridge. Girl loses consciousness. Boy could’ve taken iPod at this stage but for some reason he kills the girl by strangling her before stealing the iPod.

Very sad situation. But the fact is, such killings happen on a daily basis on street corners all over America. Every heard of muggings? Yet, Fox News that self-proclaimed last bastion of conservatism and capitalism, could not resist the sensation value of a story set in an “exotic” Indian setting between “have-nots” killing the “haves” over an iPod, as evident from this blurb (and I quote) “simmering discontents as socio-economic inequalities soar and aspirations rise”.

Attn: Rupert, Karl called, wants his Manifesto back.

At least the baap(father) part is true in this case. [BBC News]

A 11 year old Indian boy chose his affluent father over his mother in a custody battle. The court, convinced of the boy’s maturity ruled in favor of the father. By law in India, the mother gets custody of children under 5 and after the age of 10 the child gets to decide. The case gets intrigiung because initially it was the mother who got custody because the child was under 5. Later when the child turned 7, the father appealed under Muslim law which ends the mother’s natural custody once the child is above 7. Even though, he (child’s name not revealed) was in a good school and deemed well brought up, the boy picked his father in court, because of his affluent lifestyle.

“Love hurts, love scars,
Love wounds, and marks,”

goes the lyrics of the song with the same title by Nazareth.

Check out this weird love story inspired (unintentionally) by the song. Girl meets boy. Girl falls in love with boy. Boys parents disapprove of the relationship. Typical desi love ishtory so far, correct?

Girl takes out a Rs. 5000 supari (contract) on the boy. Assailants throw acid on the boy and his friend. Girl visits boy in hospital, misleads police when questioned. Police manage to apprehend assailants. Girl is busted. Turns out girl wanted assailants to “only break boy’s hands and legs”. [link]

The Nazareth song fades in the background…
“Love is like a flame
It burns you when its hot
Love hurts, ooh ooh love hurts”

What do you wish for when you make a wish? Does your list – like mine – contain money, diamonds, a better job, more stuff ? Sometimes, it takes a little child to show the way.I felt ashamed of myself when I read this heart-rending story today.

Prabesh Sapkota has suffered from Leukemia from the tender age of 2 1/2 years.When the Make-A-Wish foundation offered to make his wish come true, the little boy’s only wish was to go to school in a big, yellow bus.(link)

“He sees school buses. Ever since he was 2, ever since he could say bus,” said Prabesh’s mother, Jennifer Sapkota. “I always have told him when he gets to his fourth birthday, then he gets to ride the school bus and go to school

Prabesh turns four on March 21,

“We don’t know if he’s going to make it to his fourth birthday, so a couple of weeks ago, we threw him his fourth birthday at the hospital,” his mother said

Prabesh’s wish came true on Valentine’s day when visited a kindergarten class at the Dundee Elementary school in Omaha. A big, yellow bus picked him up to take him there. He was a little nervous when he saw all the other kids in the class but teacher Lori Holland let him hold the class hamster”Daisy” and calmed him down. He drew a picture.

Make-a-Wish volunteer Julie Robinson says, “He decided that his wish was really to ride a school bus and go to school. He’s known all along that when he turns four he got to go to school. And now all of a sudden he’s four. He couldn’t understand why he couldn’t leave the hospital and go to school ….

His father, Pradeep Sapkota, says, “It’s after two-and-a-half months he came out of the hospital room. So he’s excited. He’s happy.” (link)

When it was time to go , Prabesh raced to catch the big, yellow bus which took him back to the hospital.

This little child helps put so much in perspective. All that he wants is to be a normal little boy and go to school. A simple wish- to go to school in a big, yellow bus. A little thing that we take for granted means so much to this brave boy.

Today as you go about your busy lives, take a moment to make a wish for Prabesh. Wish and pray for him to get better. Sometimes the best wishes are those we can make for others.