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We have all heard that our Indian culture teaches us that it is vital for us to respect our parents and elders. That is why most Indian families usually communal as we live together. We are connected with our relatives and we make sure to visit them We celebrate festivals with our whole extended family. As we grow up we get busy with our daily lives and hence we move to different cities or countries because of work or studies. But as soon as any opportunity of a long holiday comes our way, we make sure to visit home.
There is an inherent quality in Indians where we are deeply connected with our roots. But eventually many things change. Westernization of our values has happened a lot over the years. We are influenced by their lifestyles a lot.
How Western Countries Have Influenced Us?
In western countries, independence is given a lot of weightage. When a kid turns 18 in USA, his/her parents encourage him/her to move out of their house to found his/her won niche in the world. After that the children visit their parents only during a special occasion, that too, only a few times a year. I do not consider this as a bad concept but it has its own ill effects.
If the person has a problem, he would feel a little bit shy to discuss it with his parents because there is distance between them. It is okay to move out, find your own passion and to build your own life but when they need us, we should be there for them as well. Same way we also want to move to bigger cities or countries. But often while fulfilling this dream, we tend to leave our values and our parents behind.
They Need Us as Much as We Needed Them:
When we have built a certain in a different city, we should call our parents to come live with us. They were there with us when we were struggling to understand the world. Now it’s our turn to reciprocate their unconditional love. In western countries when people get old enough that they need someone else’s help, they hire a nurse.
It is a very heart-breaking thing to notice. Why can’t they ask their own children for help? Why don’t the children take their old aged parents to live with them? They were there for us with utmost patience to solve our every problem. When they are old and in need of our help, we should be there for them
What Can We Learn From Our Grandparents?
I live in a joint family and I can’t imagine my childhood in any other way. With both my parents working, my grandparents would always be there with me, more than my parents. We did everything together like going to the park or temple in the evening, playing badminton with my grandfather, watching my grandmother cook, listening to their stories and much more.
By spending such quality time with our family, we inculcate values in ourselves that help us grow as a person. We learn to respect our family and also other older people who might not be related to us.
How It Helps Us in Life?
When we stay in a joint family, we grow up with good moral values. We know when to speak and when to keep shut. Moreover, everyone has contributed to your upbringing. The credit for this goes to our Indian joint family. We are extremely good at the concept of ‘sharing is caring’. Afterall, we have grown up with our siblings and cousins. There is always a reason to celebrate. It could be a wedding of a cousin or any festival, there is no space for boredom.
We have the best stories to tell because we have seen and heard a lot of stories throughout our childhood. There are several cooks in the house and their advice helps us a lot when we are feeling the hunger pangs for ‘sooji ka halwa’ at 1’O clock in the night in a different city. We know whom to call for the recipe.
Whenever we face a problem in life, there is no dearth of support. We have our cousins, uncles and aunties who most probably would have faced sometime in their life what we are going through. So there is no shortage of emotional support. We can sail through the problems together.
Conclusion:
Not everyone likes the thought of being a part of a joint family. But it is not that bad. As Indians, we know that the more the people in our home, the crazier are our parties. This is the beauty of an Indian household. That you treat every uncle, aunt and cousins as your own father, mother and sibling respectively.
Written by - Trishla Gupta
Edited by - Adrija Saha
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