Irony
They sent their son to an engineering college. Paid a hefty donation to get him a seat. It was an investment for their future, they believed. 'He would get a good job and take care of us when we are old', they told themselves. The daughter got married right after school.
The son studied well, went to a far away land to study some more, got a job there, gained recognition, built a house, became rich and called his parents every Sunday at 10 o' clock.
The daughter lived in the next street and bought them medicines to control their blood pressure.
Very nice, very matter-of-fact... I keep looking out for the next quick tale, and it's happened! keep writing, Ammani :)
ReplyDeleteHI.. it is a sad part, this quick tale is happening nowadays in more no. of indian families. Isn't it better to hv more kids, from now on?
ReplyDeleteI expect the Indian Govt to encourage the middle class / rich citizens to get more kids.... so that the Brain drain (Eventhough the reverse is happening now) can be reduced.
Singapore govt. does it by giving concessions for citizens going in for 3rd / 4th child. If you see the structure, it applies mostly to high income group.
True.. Being away from parents, You can only call em.
ReplyDeleteNice one :)
ReplyDeletea filthy truth told beautifully....i too had apost on this topic...two months back...reality..
ReplyDeleteU r simply superb in putting it...
You have an excellent power of putting words! Waiting for next tale.......
ReplyDeleteVery nice, ammani! very well written.
ReplyDeleteI will refrain from making a statement to this post. I am as guilty as the post makes the boy to be and the guilt plagues me all the time. That said, I couldnt have put it more beautifully painful.
ReplyDeleteLove your recipes.Love the picture.My moms nick is ammani:). I really dont know what it means.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.Very crisp and taut writing style.Very important and relevant topic.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one who thought that the tale is about discrimintation against the girl child and not about NRIs?
ReplyDeleteFirst of all - great writing. You sure do have a flair for it.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the story- Being an 80s child I don't believe that it is only the son who needs to take care of his parents.
I am a daughter far away from home. However I hope ( I really do) that I will go home once I am done with my studies.
I still haven't figured out how to deal with this whole NRI thingie.
For now am going with the flow..
first time here came thru the last blogger
ReplyDeletebitter but true
you have a thing with facts... be it choclates or such a story... you have the knack of putting it across really well... i immediately went "OUCH"...
ReplyDeletebut that is true!!
Ammani, if you read my latest post, you will realize that I am far from the son described in your post :-)
ReplyDeleteI am writing this barely two hours after my parents left on a flight to India and I cannot describe how much I miss them in words.
Superb post! I enjoy your writing!
ReplyDeleteAmmani,
ReplyDeleteWhy no posts for 2 days? I miss it.
AF
My parents have 2 children and all they get is 2 phone calls on Sundays :(
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteU have a real nice blog - loved all ur quick tales.
BTW - I came to ur blog thru Surinder's.
Keep writing - u write real nice.
hi Ammani,
ReplyDeleteYou do have a way with the words. But it is not only the sons nowadays who leave their parents and stay in far off lands. It is more so in the case of the girls since, apart from girls leaving their parents for a better job or education, they get married to a guy in a far off country and end up seperated from their parents.
Know what Ammani..I am ashamed to go back and read my blog!! i've read all ur quick tales and feel my blog doesnt even have a right to exist!!
ReplyDeletevery good posts! keep them coming!
This post just drives in the guilt factor in me even further!
ReplyDeletesad.. this is precisely the area that i had thought and written about: http://3rd-i.blogspot.com/2005/05/who-supports-whom.html
ReplyDeleteNRI-Non returning Indian So well written ammani
ReplyDeletesad .. bad thats the truth in a lot of families :( .. hopefully things will change .. soon :)
ReplyDeleteexcellently put :0
ammani,
ReplyDeletethis topic would touch the raw nerve of every NRI.
all that I can say is that I envy Mohan Bhargava of Swades fame.
by now you must be used to the niceties .. your blog is SOMETHING!!
cheers
ranga
PS: nowadays, not every daughter stays across the street...
PS2: my friends in India are also far off from their families.. ppl from Assam, Bengal, etc. working in Bangalore. Guess the problem is there everywhere.. not among NRIs alone..
PS3: Finally, it depends on the child.. be it a son or a daughter...
Why do you always write about pain?
ReplyDelete