Innovative home quarantined ways adopted by my parents in hometown

PAN India lockdown has brought lot of changes in the lives of people, as all of us are trying innovative ways to keep up engaged than just lying on bed. No one can lie on bed for long time especially when people have led a busy life, parents are worst effected during this lockdown. Firstly they are concerned about their children who are in far off places and secondly they want to spend time productively than just being tuned to TV.

Due to lockdown my parents are unable to go out frequently as they used to go before, thanks to the imposition of travel restriction.  But my neighborhood is very helpful towards my parents, as a result of which I am able to spend my days peacefully here in Bangalore. My neighbors buy veggies, medicines or any other thing needed by my parents, a good neighborhood is always a boon.

This is the season for jackfruits in Kerala and with lockdown in place, people who have jackfruit trees are sharing the seasonal produce with their neighbors. My parents often get jackfruit from our neighbors but due to non-availability of fish they don’t prepare the traditional jackfruit recipe of the state. Even they can’t finish these jackfruits by themselves in one go and it can’t be preserved for long due to its perishable nature.

Then my parents decided to make jackfruit chips, as it has long shelf life if preserved properly and it consumes good amount of time to make it and it will keep them busy for a long time, especially during afternoon times. Most difficult part in the entire process is first to de seeding the fruit and then slicing them down uniformly. My dad is an expert in the entire, he doesn’t need anyone’s help, if required he can perform the task all by himself. But mom and I pitch in the de seeding process and the slowest amongst us in me, as I rarely do it and not used to the process but enjoy relishing upon the recipes.

These days whenever I call them they are usually busy preparing jackfruit chips and it serves as their evening snacks for tea, so they don’t buy snacks from shops now. My parents are the not the only one to make these chips but most elderly people in our neighborhood is doing the same now, few who have banana plantation are making banana chips too.

I am really happy for my parents and the neighborhood for the innovative way adopted by them to make jackfruit or banana chips at home during their quarantined period. Skills mastered by them during their youth days have come to their rescue at these testing times and important aspect of it is that, they are indoors most of the time, which is a great sigh of relief for me.

I have requested my parents to pack the chips safely for me till I meet them next as I love jackfruit chips, my all-time favorite snacks. I hope till the end of quarantine period they make good amount of chips for me and my friends.

Unconditional love of parents

Nothing can replace the love of parents towards their kids in this world. Parents are the only people in the world who love their kids without any return. They take pain for their children with smiles which can’t be seen in other relationship. Seems like am also getting it, post attaining parenthood.

I have been travelling all alone since I came to Bangalore for higher studies. Mode of transport depends upon the availability of tickets. I prefer to travel by train but availability of tickets is a big issue. Because plans are made in very short span of time and the only option available then are bus, which has great connectivity.

For this vacation I was lucky to get train tickets to and fro. The moment I board train, worry meter of my parents are on alert. If I don’t call them, they will call me to check whether I have boarded the train or not? Till I reach home keep getting calls from them, about my whereabouts. To avoid some calls, I ask my dad to come and pick me from station.  But while coming back my dad will drop me to station and wait till train/ bus moves.

This time was also no different dad came to see me off at the railway station but just before the arrival of train dad made a statement which touched me, “If anyone offers you tea, coffee or biscuits, just refuse them. You want anything to eat or drink buy it yourself.” Dad knows I have been travelling all alone for quite some time and may be aware about these things but still he wanted to tell me.

This clearly shows his love towards and the fear which he has in his heart when he is sending me off. More than love it was his fear of my well-being that prompted him to say it to me.  I just loved it.

Fear is a form of love but the way dad hid his fear to instill courage and sensibility to face certain situation in me was amazing

Are parent’s burden on their grown up children?

Satyamev Jayate’s revelation was shocking for me and many like me looking at the treatment meted out to parents at the hands of their children.  For parents children are their world and they are ready to do numerable sacrifices for them at any given point of time. Parent’s affection can be understood well only when you become parents.  Teenagers & grown up children keep nagging that their parents don’t understand them and they don’t know “what to do next?”

It’s difficult for kids to understand why parents are harsh on them at time but by the time they understand the things, it’s too late in some cases. Parents spend their entire life in our upbringing thinking that in their old age we can be with them as their support system.  Very few parents are fortunate to fulfill this dream.

Today’s money savvy economy has made children so selfish that they don’t even hesitate to kill their parents for money. How can one do it? Doesn’t his /her conscious stop them from doing such things? Our parents were there with us when we needed care and support, then why can’t we be with them?

It’s the first time that I turned off TV when Satyamev Jayate was on air. 2 incidents from the show forced to do it. 

Incident 1 – A son orders his mother to vacate the house by evening, if she doesn’t do so he will consume poison in front of her. Mother was left with no other option but to leave the house. Even at that point of time, mother was thinking about the well-being of her son and his long life. Son had taken her entire savings before throwing her out like a penny less beggar. 

Incident 2- A remote village in Tamil Nadu kill elder people who are either bed ridden or can’t do their day to day activity. Doctors help them in their act by injecting elders by poisonous injection. People who do it are happy and tell about it proudly.

Despite all the incident parents are still in with love their children and are waiting to unite with them before they leave the world. Parents don’t want our money they only want our unconditional love. It’s the same thing which parents had given us when we were kid. Bringing up a child a tough task when they were ready to take it, why can’t we take our responsibility of being with them. 

Our existence today is because of them, had they thought that bringing up a child is a tough task and said to no baby? Giving birth to a child is like defying death because of the painful process but still women take the decision to become mother. 

India is known in world for its rich culture and tradition. Couples from foreign destinations are coming to India to tie nuptial note thinking they could have a happy married life ahead. We teach world how to respect our elders but we are forgetting it ourselves. Parents are visible god, then how can one harm them so brutally.