Learn Curve for Girls

Suhani Dewra

Reyanshi was browsing Netflix on her laptop to watch a movie. Indecisive of what kind of movie she wanted to watch, Reyanshi looked through almost all the genres. She decided on ‘Action’ and ‘Biographies’, because those were two segments she hadn’t really seen many movies from.

“It’ll be nice watching movies based on real people’s life and those with stunts like in Mission Impossible,” said Reyanshi to herself.

Her eyes soon caught attention of the title ‘The Imitation Game’. The poster of the movie looked inviting and Reyanshi hit the play button.

It was more than an hour of engrossed watching, with not a moment of distraction from the movie.

‘The Imitation Game’ was the story of Alan Turing who was a British genius with many feathers in his cap. He was a mathematician, computer scientist, and cryptanalyst who helped the British government decipher the encrypted messages of Germans during World War II.

The ‘Imitation Game’ was quite a discovery. Reyanshi was excited to meet her friends at school the next day and tell them about the gem of the movie that she chanced upon. Much to Reyanshi’s surprise, most of her friends had heard about Alan Turing.

“I have not seen the movie, Reyanshi, but I am familiar with the name,” said Ayesha.

“Yes, I have also heard of Alan Turing. He was in news in 2009 when the British Government issued a public apology to Alan Turing for having treated him with the lack of empathy,” added another friend Khyati.

“What lack of empathy,” asked a girl who had not heard of the English genius.

“Well, Alan Turing was charged for being a homosexual. I am sure you get what that means,” immediately said Khyati.    

“But what was the crime?!” wondered the girl.

“Back in those days, the British government did not recognize homosexuality as a normal human behavior. Those who were found to be homosexuals were convicted in various ways,” elaborated Khyati.

“That is so weird,” commented the friend.

“There are government laws that decide if one can be a homosexual or otherwise. Every country has a different law for a case like this,” added Khyati.

“One doesn’t decide to choose the gender one likes. That’s a pre-set biological condition,” said Ayesha.

“But it’s an abnormal choice,” said Reyanshi.

“No, it is not. It is a natural human behavior. The world now recognizes it to be so,” tried to explain Khyati.

The girls discussed the topic for some more time before breaking away to the next class. That evening when Reyanshi went back home, she had several questions on her mind, including what was her choice and how does she ensure that she knows her choice.

These questions were not something she felt comfortable discussing with anybody at home. Her friends in school knew somethings, but not everything.

“Who do I speak to?” she wondered.

It occurred to her that she could confide herself in her tuition teacher. Barely four years older to Reyanshi, the tuition teacher was a friendly teacher who Reyanshi called by her name. That evening when Reyanshi went to the tuition teacher’s house for the evening lesson to begin, at the outset she mentioned that she wanted to discuss something beyond studies.

“What is it?” asked the teacher.

“I saw the movie ‘The Imitation Game’,” Reyanshi began.

“I am sure that you have heard of Alan Turing. Would you know how does one know if one is homosexual or heterosexual?” quickly jumped Reyanshi.

The tuition teacher gauged through Reyanshi’s mind and began with educating her on a few parameters that help one find out better about oneself. The talk dealt with knowing how one feels within in, in the company of a gender.  

“Alan Turing found out about himself when he was in school. His male companion was also the inspiration for his scientific creations in the future,” Reyanshi made a random statement.

“Yes, that is the time when most of us discover ourselves,” said her friendly teacher.

The topic occupied the session with detailed conversation between Reyanshi and her tuition teacher. Reyanshi did gain clarity of her own feelings. She again waited for the next day to get to school to educate her gang of girls about how they could know themselves better.