Maya will start 'big school' ( as she calls it.. J) next week. She has attended playgroup & nursery before this. But this is the school she will attend for the next 12 years.

Alongwith paying the fees we had to fill out a form. And there was this column that I knew would be there & that I had been dreading - 'Religion.'

I am a Hindu married to a Christian. Both of us are not religious. I have my own set of beliefs & he has his. And we had agreed to this before marriage that our child/children would be brought up as neither. He/She could grow up & choose what he/she wanted to be. (And I secretly hope that Maya goes through life without choosing)

Well, I have taken her to the temple & she has been to the church too .the few times we've gone. & I will take her to all the places of worship I can. I try & answer her queries on God if she asks me which are more to do with stories & epics. (I’m good at that - I read a lot of amar chitra katha when i was a kid ) She's only 4 so there haven't been too many questions so far. I don't ask her to pray or teach her chants/hymns. I try to get her acquainted with customs, festivals, places which tell you about people, cultures & will only make her grow as a person.

What I do try & tell her ' and I sincerely believe it is the most important lesson - is that she should grow up to be a good person, respecting all & try not to say or do something to others that she wouldn't like to hear or experience herself.

So I left the column blank. I was happy when my husband came back having paid the fees & submitting the form without any question being asked.

Then the call came .'Madam you've forgotten to fill the column.'
I said, I'd not forgotten & explained the reason. 'You see My husband is Christian & I'm hindu. So !!!'
'Yes ma'm, I guessed as much when I saw both your names. But u cannot leave it blank.' 'Hmm then write both', I said.
'That cannot be done. It has to be one .'and hesistantly he said 'it usually is the father's.' I winced.
Then he quickly added, ' .And this will not make any difference. It's just for the record & will lie there.'
And he was insistent about filling the column, so I sighed & asked him to write Maya's father's religion ' Christian.

I did my schooling from a convent school. There, the non ' catholics studied moral science. & the catholics studied 'religion'. During that class hour we went to 2 different classes.

Maya's school doesn't have that. So I have no problem about the segregation.

But why can't that column be left blank? If it serves no purpose & is just going to lie there in the record books to gather dust .why should it be written at all? Or why can't I just write 'secular' in the column if that is what I believe in.

- maya ki mummy