Col R D Singh (Retd)
In our young days, come school holidays, and we would request our parents to send us to our Nana – Nani. There was no better freedom, no better enjoyment, than spending time with the loveable Nana – Nani ( mother’s parents”). Visit to them will be atleast for a week to ten days. The moment you reached their place, we were like free birds. First they would make delicacies for us, and then feed us with indulgence. Nani would exactly know our favourite sweet dishes and prepare those with love. She would even make ‘panjiri’ during the winter months which we loved so much. The best part of being with Nana – Nani was that they would never bother us about studies and home work. They would not question us whether we scored 80 percent or 90 percent marks or what rank we obtained in the class. Nor would they grill us on our conduct in the class. Their sole focus was on our happiness. What mattered to them was that we should play, be happy and healthy. That we should be well clad during winters, lest we catch a cold, and do not fall down and injure ourselves.
Nani would take us along to various functions in the village, be it a religious ceremony or a marriage party. With pride, they would introduce us to the village elders , “ they are my ‘doytas’ ( my daughter’s children). And then the villagers would hug us as their own children. We would run around and enjoy all the sweets of the marriage. No body would mind our pranks. We would climb the highest branch of the ‘neem’ or ‘peepal’ tree and shout from the top of our voice. We would also enjoy the swings, normally tied to these trees during the month of ‘sawan’ – festival of ‘Teej’. Being with Nana – Nani was also a time to get new clothes. They would make sure that we dressed well which would reflect that their daughter is married in a good family. And how can we forget the stories which our Nana – Nani used to tell us before sleep. These were full of imagination and good morals. Good always won over the evil, and that still holds in our minds. In the midst of such loving and carefree environment, who would like to end such a holiday, and go back to the school, where regimentation and home work awaited us. Returning from Nana- Nani was always an emotional occasion, and tough one. But we had to return. Nani would send us off with gifts and a promise that we would return during the next break. Let me confess, my most memorable and authentic education of rural India has been my initial years spent in a village, and attending village functions with my grandparents.
Just watch the contrast today. Our children are more keen to fly abroad for a holiday or watch latest movies in Malls, or endlessly surf the net. The culture of spending time with our grandparents ( Nana-Nani , Dada – Dadi’ etc ) has greatly declined. We need to restore it. This will keep the children rooted, as also strengthen family bonds. The biggest casualty of the western influence has been the loss of family values and traditions. We can restore the rich family traditions by again getting back to our relations. What it requires is to rethink our priorities. A bit of less self, less ego, and more of ‘we’, will help us to reach out to our elders. A day spent with our own relations is far more valuable than a week spent on an island. So, lets take our children to their grand parents, where ever they reside, during the coming vacations.
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