Nachiketa Chakraborty a highly popular Bengali lyricist musician singer had come up with an epic touching song titled “Briddhashram” (Old age home).
In the song a mother, dispatched to old age home, laments about her sorrow. Despite being mother to a “highly successful” son; there exists absolutely “no space” for her in his large flat, though the pet dog of “high pedigree” finds “honorable position” there! Next she reminiscences about those good old days when she had to feed the son during his childhood or how he failed to sleep without the warm embrace of the mother. And at the very last, the mother gets very optimist that one day she will succeed in reuniting with her son. No the son will not come to take his mother home; rather the son will be sent to that very old age home, beside the older mother, when he too would get old courtesy the grandson!
And if one of them is widow or widower, less said about her/his plight the better! Self-career and interest are allowed to take precedence over the erstwhile or endangered values of remaining indebted to them who had given up their todays for our tomorrows and whose debt can never be repaid throughout one’s lifetime.
There lies no doubt to the fact that along with the ungrateful careless, irresponsible cruel-hearted sons, daughter-in-laws also play an extremely negative role behind such cruelty. Where the house is of the father-in-law, these “modern” wives coax their husbands to move out so as to lead “independent” lives of their own! And if the house or flat is of husband, then they assume their parents-in-law as simply “intruders” or “liabilities”! And sons who don’t care for their old parents and want to lead a calm and enjoyable life with their own wives and children move out to greener pastures with the only mission of earning barbaric amount of money.
It is a matter of relief though that presently the Judiciary accords its support to the tortured or economically neglected old parents. But at maximum the Court can restrain the children from driving out the parents from home or direct the children to pay a particular amount to the parents. But this is definitely not enough. Because apart from the old parents who are sick and vulnerable and in urgent need of physical assistance, even the fit ones desire to receive love, compassion and companionship from their sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren. And no Court in the whole world can guarantee such immaterial benefits to the old ones or inject such divine feelings among the children for their old parents!
One and only serious introspection and answering to the call of conscience duty indebtedness and humanity can perhaps improve the scenario. Else today’s “younger” lot, transporting their parents to old age home, should also remain mentally prepared to get similarly transported to same old age homes thanks to their children as portrayed beautifully by Nachiketa! After all children learn from the acts of their parents, isn’t it!
Ending with a very humanitarian advertisement of an old age home which I came across recently “We wish you don’t require our service; still if situation demands, please give us a call”! Hope the children should learn a bit of humanity from such a heart-rending call.
