Of melancholy and parents

I am in a melancholic mood today. Don’t know why. It’s just akin to the alienation and isolation that I used to feel when I was living alone. I am certainly not someone who can live alone. I like being with people, but do want my certain independence too. I like drifting into my own world, doing my own things, not being disturbed, but I also want people to check on me.

As I mostly work-out-of-home and have a floor to myself, I have turned a corner into office. It is cute that baba at times keep a check on me, opening the door and tilting his head asking, “Ki korchis?” (what are you doing?). Today, early morning mom came upstairs and kept knocking at my door pretty hard. I woke up with a start and jumped out of the bed, and as I walked towards the living room to open the door, all sorts of bad thoughts kept coming into my mind. As I opened the door with a hurried look, mom gave me her phone saying, “My phone is behaving erratic, the music just won’t stop and I am unable to shut down the phone too.” Relieved that there wasn’t any emergency, I restarted her phone and quietly gave it back to her.

Mom and her addiction to phone. Actually, I am to be blamed. Tired of the constant fight between mom and dad over who will get to watch the TV, and not wanting to install a TV on my floor, I installed Tata Sky app on both their phones. Told them, they each can watch their serials and news, respectively, on their individual phones, as they rotate the TV time. I thought I had come up with a smart solution. Problem is, with unlimited Wi-Fi and plenty of free time, my mother is especially hooked on to her phone. As she is tech-savvy, unlike baba, she is all over social media, and even diligently posts stories on Facebook and WhatsApp! And, don’t even get me started with selfies. For baba, if the Aaj Tak app doesn’t work, it spells national catastrophe for him. I really don’t know how much news is enough news! Now, whenever my sis-in-law complains about my niece being addicted to the phone, I complain about my parents!

Point is, I have seen people misbehaving with their old parents, ill-treating them, at times, screaming at them, taking out their pent-up frustration on them. Yes, parents are not perfect, mine are not at all. That doesn’t mean I become a lesser human being. Plus, as they grow old, you realize the finality of life staring at you. One day all this will not be there, and a void will be created, because no matter how you fill your life, your parents are your first introduction to the world, your roots. One should never forget their roots and keep nurturing them with love and affection, especially when they are old and withered.