Chapter 6: The Third and Final Continent

In the Indian family system, the basic values which are followed are taking care of parents in their old age, respecting elders, contributing towards mankind and society, respecting teachers and passing spiritual, cultural and ancient heritage to our future generations. It is a known fact that Indians take good care of their parents in their old age. The concept of assisted living and senior citizen homes has just started. They are prominent and usually practised in other countries though not in India. It is considered taboo in India and is not considered dutiful to send our relatives or aged parents to old age homes. So taking care of aged parents is a basic duty of the child, and as believed in India, one gets a lot of ‘sukarma’ points by doing it and equal negative karma for not doing it.

In India, elderly people are reserved, obedient, considered to be knowledgeable and treated with dignity and respect by their family members, unlike the way old people are treated abroad. A person is expected to relax and enjoy their solitude during their old age and spend time peacefully with their grandchildren without worrying about the household and finances. The oldest son takes care of the family and financial matters, and the oldest daughter-in-law runs the household. In most cases, old age people care for their grandchildren and help with cooking and household chores. The grown-up children even continue to consult their parents on most aspects of life.

The different eccentricities of the aged people might sometimes look more adorable. The way they forget small things evokes laughter. The innocence in their speech creates amusement in the entire family. They have an urge for different things, such as chocolates and grow similar to a child. They sometimes disobey whenever they are asked not to do a few things. This creates a subtle amusement among the family members. These might look annoying sometimes, but one shouldn’t be disturbed by them. They are the main source of endearment, and one should embrace these lifestyles and habits with a smile and grace.