Parents-The shadow of Divine

“I was not sleeping, when you pulled the quilt over me, I knew it was you. You did not sleep too, you waited for me to finish my late night studies and you gradually walked inside my room, to see if I had the quilt on. It is not the first time you did so and it is not the first time I pretended to be asleep and enjoy your fatherly affection with a secret smile.”

“When I opened my eyes, my head was on your lap. I saw your eyes, they had tears. I fell from the bike and injured myself. I had bruises all over. It pained like hell Ma. The only touch that could sooth a bit was yours. When you ran your fingers through my hair, it was like the effect of tranquilisers that I fell fast asleep, only to wake up to see your eyes looking at me with love. When I squirmed with migraine and forced you to sit for hours by my side, you never complained, you constantly kept caressing with utmost motherly divine love.”

The unconditional love

Growing up is a process for every individual and it happens naturally. But to facilitate this natural process, two people come for hand-holding. They strive their best to make this process, beautiful, remember worthy, praise worthy and fruitful. They grow an infact from a stage of complete oblivion to have sense enough to face this venomous world. They are our parents, the shadow of divinity. The place we feel safest and the most loved. When the whole world dumps us as worthless, these are the two people who still consider us with reverence. They still say that we are the best. When everyone around mocks at us for being fat, short or dark. They call us the most beautiful people on earth. Such is their love.

What our parents think of us, their magnitude of affection is not in our scope to appreciate. They do not us expect us too. But what they expect is an iota of love and a bit of respect, which is not a very huge demand to be fulfilled. We might have demanded things that forced them to curtail their dreams, but they want us to fly high. Their demands are not to cut our wings.

Yet, it is painful to see some people around who look at their parents with contempt. Condemn them for their inefficiencies, as if they themselves were born genius. And consider them as burdens. I really do not know fowl words enough to ridicule or criticise people like these. When I lost my father, I know the kind of vacuum it created in my life, irreparable damage. My mother is in Kolkata and I stay in Mumbai, I crave for her touch to sooth my tired soul. And there are morons, to deprive themselves of this divine peace of loving and being loved by parents. The increasing number of old age homes are evidence enough to indicate the sad direction the society is moving towards.

Is solitude what we give in return?

We Indians are known for our family values and our culture. But what learning this self centred bunch of loosers are leaving for the next generation? Keeping parents in expensive old age homes and sending a bit of salary earned in dollars is not enough for them; they want their near and dear ones near them in the last chapter of their lives. Gift them that peace and be exemplary to your next generation. Let the flag of family values, respect and love by carried on from generation to generation.And remember you reap the fruits of the trees you sow, so be careful of what you want to have in store for yourself. I will end with a famous saying “We never know the love of a parent till we become parents ourselves”. But the sad part is, some do not realize ever and these are not humans enough.

Give them back a percent of the love you received, it will last them a life

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta