February 1. “I don’t see either Dost or chotididi!”

“Both have gone to Kolkata, Button, for the poetry session scheduled for tomorrow. You know about it.”

“But weren’t you all supposed to go too?”

“You know why the two of us couldn’t make it.”

“Actually both of you could have gone!”

“There’s going to be a lot of big names at the session!”

“I also saw MoJo take her first training lesson.”

“These training sessions we hire trainers for doesn’t seem quite right. I feel it’s a waste of time, money and effort.”

“Why do you feel that way?”

“If you think over it—apart from a command like ‘sit down’, what other commands do we get them to obey for the rest of their lives?”

“You’re right in a sense and I won’t comment because I have no knowledge about doggie classes.”

“It’s what Dost says about sending a specially gifted child to a special school and not a regular school where every child has to mug, sit for exams year after year only to earn a certificate at the end. Those certificates don’t get you anywhere anymore. It’s a much better idea to send a child for special training if he or she is gifted in a particular field.”