She was a sucker for traditions. That is for breaking them. Paved, well-troden paths were a no-no for her. An absolute trailblazer, she was way ahead of her age and time. If she passed you by, you would know cos you would be reeling from the experience for days after that. Neither conformist, nor rebel... she was her own person.
She had her parents wound tight with indignation and worries. The evident absence of fear, the utter irreverence towards customs, the works. They did not know how to react, they always seemed to over-react. Finally not knowing what to do, they gave up on her. They let her fall, killed the urge to pick her up or even hold her. She interpreted this as indifference on their part. The distance between them only increased, finally leading to an unacknowledged cold war.
Then she woke up one morning, overwhelmed with emotions she wasnt able to vocalise. She felt this void in her life, as if something was missing even in the midst of everything. She felt this longing for the very things she had always run away from. Early morning pooja did not seem like a burden, rather she got up early to make it a part of her routine. She found herself switching off her fone while she ate, reminding her of the zillion times she had been scolded about just that at the dinner table. She started calling her parents every day, just the way she had seen them call her grandparents.
It took a hell lot of guts for her to grow up and finally become who she really was. The fact is that we all grow up with the weight of customs, traditions and heritage. We can choose to carry it like dead weight and get no value addition. Or we can choose to let it be a guiding beacon which keeps us rooted and gives us a base to build our lives on.
So while I figure out who I want to be today, Cheers to all those of you who are seeking your identities. Remember, not all those who wander are lost!! :-)
8 comments:
"Not all those who wander are lost."
That is so true.
liked the way you ended it..really good..
I admire your balanced perspective. I do not subscribe to many traditions, but I can recognise the value that some people take from them. My wife's grandmother, before she passed away, fell in the middle of the night and could not move - she was only found the following day by my wife's father. She was suffering from cancer at the time, but I recall my wife telling me that she prayed for the entire night. I am not religious, but I envy her faith and the strength she drew from that. Traditions can indeed be guiding beacons.
Perhaps those parents were wise to let go, a strategy very difficult to follow. The end result was "the girl" made her own decisions about what to affirm. Full circle back.
it is true..
we all have a rebel streak sorts at one time or the other till time and a sense of wanting to belong tames it enough.
i surprise myself every now and then with how traditional i am. its not something i saw for myself years back. but thats the interesting part. to see what we grow into.
beautiful post. and go tolkien! :)
Thanx a lot :-)
Line's from LOTR.. To me, it holds true cos I am constantly wandering, seeking god-knows-what.. :-)
@ JAWilkinson... Traditions mean different things to different ppl.. To her, it gave strength.. To me, it is abt the sense of belonging..
@ bluebethley... Well, they were more exasparated than wise, but then they did what they did.. All's well, that ends well, wotsay?
@ fali... Its more abt the familiarity with traditions, which makes us wanna come back, no matter how far we have de-toured
As a teenager my biggest nightmare was the thought that one day I would turn into my parents, Now somehow I strive for it.Ironic?
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