Family first

I grew up in a household which was very hard core Indian. My mom, the house runner, my dad the bread winner, and their two girls.

My mom was the one who made us pray everyday, taught us bhajans, made sure we did well in school and helped out with school work till she could understand what we were learning. My dad, the protective conservative Indian father was all about education and no distractions. He is a professor, he was the smart sophisticated man who taught us to just trust the family, believe in education.

My parents did not have a social life, they never took vacations. The only time we left Delhi was to go to Nainital and Jaipur. That’s all the vacation we ever took. We were all very Indian, I never knew what was happening in the US or in any other sports apart from cricket. The only movies I watched came from Bollywood, the only food I knew, was Indian.

All that was actually perfect, because that’s all I knew how to live as a family. Now years later, when I am away, and my dad is tired and deserves to retire and just live at home, I want so much more for them.

I was planning to go to Europe and see my friends there again, but I just realized, it is time to give back. Tell my father, that everything’s ok and it’s time to rest. Tell my mom, she can buy that saaree she always wanted. Tell my sister, she can go away on a trip with her college friends, it’s time to put family first. It is high time to put family first.

I don’t know why I did not realize that earlier. It’s my turn now. And I have to start right now. My mom has done enough. My dad is not the same person anymore. It’s my turn to give them everything I can. Europe can wait. It’s time to go home and make some magic happen.

Right now, at this very moment, there is nothing more that I want, than seeing my mom buy everything she ever wanted, and watching my dad be the same person again.

Time to make it all happen.