I have been thinking (what? ooohhh....anyway, yes i have. so. :)) and the thing that set me thinking was the annual "numaish ki sair" something, we as kids, eagerly looked forward to. There would be a budget, and we were allowed to spend, take rides all in the budget; come back home, prepare an account and get it validated by mom (apparently my mom thought it was an interesting way to help us improve our math skills.)
This year I thought I'd take Junior to his first numaish, and since math would be too much for him, I'll point and show (well, that would be too much too. i know ;))
A similar burgeoning crowd that was forever shopping greeted me. Children running around, ladies bargaining, poor men holding what the women bought, the lucknowi stalls, the kashmiri stalls, the joy rides, all bursting with colour. The toy train disappointed me though. This year it didnt run on tracks. It was just "compartments" attached to a tractor which ran on roads.
However one thing was missing, a simple thing called yearning. My yearning to buy, the excitement at spotting a piece, the flutter when the shopkeeper agrees to my price, the disappointment when my mom wouldn't agree and my prize catch would be taken away by someone else...it was all gone.
Was I growing up from these "girl things?" No. Not Really. I still look for new places to shop for and discounts are the first thing I notice in the newspaper. I would attribute this to over indulgence. Earlier numaish was held only once a year and the times we shopped for were also few. Clothes for Diwali, Sankranti and your "Happy Birthday" or if you were in for a bonanza you'd get a bonus if the discount was really good somewhere. What is happening now? There are discounts on everything all year around. Purchasing power has increased, weekends are generally spent window shopping or shopping at a mall. Now I buy clothes at an average of a dress every month, without any ocassion.
What actually made me write all this is a teeny weeny confused bit in me which asks, where do I stop? I want Junior to know what yearning is, the excitement of opening a gift, what looking forward to a something means, the gratitude that comes with all these. He'd probably have games and toys, books and clothes already.
With a lifestyle like this, where we give and get almost everything without asking for it, will emotions like these become obsolete? I hope not :)
Just a few days back we were having the same discussion in my office..how kids these days do not 'value' any thing esp gifts and clothes, because they 'already have it' or can easily have it.
ReplyDeleteAnd unfortunately, same applies to us l-(
yeaH i know! blame it on the software people again :P
ReplyDeleteDivya,
ReplyDeleteFirst visit. Read all posts. Well, I write because of my own satisfaction. If there is response, it is icing on the cake and if I make some good friends here, it is a bonus. So write what you feel like without any fears or expectations. I agree at times relatives do become a PIA. So from a software expert you are turning into train expert. Advertisements of FAIRNESS has gone beyond limits now, I feel. How old is junior? I may be able to say something how to make him have that yearning and feel sense of gratitude after I know this.
Take care
Hello Jack,
DeleteThanks for your comments. I hope to write good and write more often. Junior is 8 months old, is exploring the world around him, and is teaching me new things in the process. Hope to hear from you.
Regards,
Divya
Divya,
DeletePlease give junior hug from my side. Yes, we learn a lot from children.
Take care
Hello Jack, extremely sorry for replying this late. I was plain lazy. no excuses. Hope you are doing good
DeleteI will give him a hug :)
Ayee maayi , my friends chintu and pintu have an iphone . i too want it by tomorrow evening..... and this will turn you into the next subbi
ReplyDelete