FAMILY

I am surprised and laughing as well while writing this blog because I couldn't think of a good beginning on a term so common in our life called family. I mean my own existence is owed to it, yet I couldn't and it's laughable. Then I remember the words of noted Hindi writer Shailesh Lodha, better identified as Tarak Mehta. He once said that there are few words in this world which are overused and highly undervalued, he called friendship as that word and I would add the word family also to it. Most widely used, more common than any other word in any language, yet I wonder how many of us actually understands its value and true meaning including me.

If we go into the etymology of the word family, it comes from Latin word 'familia', which translates to servants or even worse, slaves. Oh God !, which poor English scholar thought that, it's better we don't know. I doubt even one of you would agree to it, considering what importance it has in our life.

 The day we open our eyes to embrace this world, the first few strange and smiling faces who were staring at us is what we call family. The people for whom, we immediately become almost the whole world is what is called the family. So that's it, family defined and understood in most simplest way, well certainly not. Don't forget to remember how few found comfort in your smile and how you troubled them with your attention seeking cries. How few carried you on the back by becoming four legged cart for you. 

When we were able to move out of the comforts of home, how few shielded us from bad while opening the whole world for us. When you made friends in childhood, played with them, fought with them, came home crying, there were few embracing you to console and tried to make you stronger for next time, certainly not to fight but to defend yourself. We never forget and I guess we shouldn't either that how few went out of the way to fullfill our petty childish desires, don't know at what cost. 

When we get big enough to go out and explore the possibilities the world has to offer, they are the ones who ready us to brace the world. We are made to believe that there is a place we can always return to, there are people whom we can reach out to if the world isn't too kind to us. 

For people like me, whom has to step out of the comforts of the home to be worth something and realise our potential, the value of family multiplies by thousand times. It is said that when we hunger, we remember our mother; when we are empty pocket, we remember our father and when we are left alone, we remember our siblings with whom even petty quarrels now seem pleasant and comforting. I remember one incident with myself when I failed in one of the interviews in the last year of the college, something I haven't shared with anyone at home and was crying like a child not for the failure but lack of support perhaps. One of my good friends told me that all your friends can do is sympathise with you but it is the family from where all the love, support and care is going to come from. And now I realise that more than ever.

Yes, there are also a class of people who are not lucky enough to have a family and yes, I wouldn't say much there. I can feel them but can never understand them. They are people who may be understanding the value of family more than anyone else. And I would wish nobody has to be like that.

Alas!, today it seems that individuality and sense of mine has somewhat diluted the true sense and structure of the family. The more we are embracing the new world, the more disconnected we are getting to our roots. The generational gap between parents and child has widened to the extent that we attempt to keep them away from our new modern life. We became sceptical of the same people who have made us into what we are. Yes, one can always argue that it is their sole effort and hardwork which took them where they are but they are highly mistaken because before you believed in yourself self, there was a family which believed in you first. 

Today, video calls, chats, social media interactions have completely substituted the so called family time. But for people like us, there isn't a choice after all. And those who are still able to be who they are while being with the family, I would say, you are the luckiest people in the world, and if you have any doubts ask me.

When people casually say these days that family comes first than anyone else, I don't know how much they mean it. But I have just one suggestion for all of us. Family is like the root of a tree, you may not like it for the reasons best known to you but you certainly can't grow without it. The deeper your roots are, the stronger you are to face the headwinds of life. So, cherish my friends if you have a loving caring supportive family because then you are richer than you actually appear.