Time out with family

 

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time out with family is always priceless. The craziness and sheer madness… The laughter and lengthy sessions of teasing…. Those gossips and endless discussions how one was as a child… And then the inevitable - How much each one of us have changed as individuals yet stay together as family…

I wonder… Are these the kind of discussions that happens only in India or all over the World?

When there is a reunion, there will be a varied platter of sweets and snacks. Some will be oily some will be made of homemade ghee. Some will be bitter and some sour. Ouch! And some would be spicy. Relatives staying at different part of India and World at times will bring the best cuisine available at their place.

The young and the oldest will get gifts. Such gifts could be anything. It may be pens. It may be jewels. It may be dresses. It may be accessories. And hey! If someone is from abroad, pens and deodorant/perfumes will be there for sure without being skewed to age.

There will be elaborate sessions of dancing and singing. Long discussions on latest movies watched and a list of movies missed; and finest book read so far. Of course, there will be information sharing on who is dating who and who is not seeing who, the break ups and the patch ups – both in cine industry and undoubtedly in family as well.

And ouch! If you are a person eligible for marriage, there will be a never ending match making drama. They make you uneasy by posing innumerous questions. Some would be lame making you just laugh and some would make you twinge due to embarrassment.

If any of your relatives is newly married, then you may get a chance to envision their freaking romantic endeavors. Some would make you flinch and some gives room for you to tease. They keep talking about their spouse… About how good natured they are… how caring they are… what a great pair they make… how marriages are made in heaven. And the worst is when they come to you and advice that marriage is the quintessential aspect of life; that it shows light to the dark solitary life.

Oh… If any of your relatives has a new born baby, they will never stop boasting about them. They share everything about their kid – from peeing to almost anything. They have at least a ton tongues when it comes to rambling about their little tiger/tigress.

In short, if you are married, you can rant about your spouse. If you are a parent, you may rant about your child.

But, if you are single, all you can do is immerse yourself into some book and act as your life’s purpose in itself is reading that book. But hey! Never log into your laptop or tap at your mobile phones. That gives wrong signals to elders. They may think you are in love with someone. They may weave further stories stating that you are standing against marriage because of this “friend”.

But all this madness makes what we are. This madness ties us into one big fat Indian family. A timeout with them can never be boring. All you need to be is a good listener. A smile sprinkled with occasional laughter, nod of the head or a pat on the shoulder depending on the situation is all you need to do. And bang! There you are as an inseparable part of your family. Sharing your family’s USP – madness!!!