Geetanjali Krishna: The banana tree ghost

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We chatted for a bit with him, and bits and pieces of what had happened that summer came back to me. Irfan's father had asked us to take him under our wing. "He's 14 years old, refuses to go to school, and just hangs around the house," said he, "I'm afraid he'll fall into bad company." We agreed. But soon we realised it was a mistake. Irfan was a bright boy who did not believe domestic work was for him. He'd sulk and cry, moan and groan, even though his duties were restricted to playing with our one year old. "I actually wanted to be apprenticed to a barber," he confided in me, "but my father thinks this is better for me." I interceded with his father on Irfan's behalf, but his father was adamant. "My son will fall into bad company if he practices a trade in the market at such an early age