Born and brought up in a big joint family,i've always been surrounded by people. My mom and dad are the eldest in my family.Its never been only my parents for me,its always been my two uncle,aunt and all my cousins as a whole because i'm equally attached to all of them.I am the second eldest in my family.We are six sisters and three brothers and few of us have now started studying outside .Though i had lots of friends in school but as such i never felt the need of going out of home to enjoy because we were always enough to enjoy and play with each other.
I've generally seen people having a lot of prejudices about joint families because not many joint families are to be seen these days.I don't say that joint families are the best but yes,if the relations are based on trust and mutual understanding amongst all members of the family,there is lot more fun and excitement living in a joint family than a nuclear one.Each and every occasion from anybody's b'day to anniversary to raksha bandhan to diwali is celebrated as if it was a big function in my house.The best part is that at difficult times,you never feel alone because there are so many people always standing beside you.
Joint families has its own advantages and disadvantages.To talk of benefits,you learn a lot.You learn to be more patient,sharing,sacrificing and to talk of the disadvantages you are not enough independent.Manier times,there are situations when you have to lose your indivisuality.Each decision in the family is to have the consent of all the members of the family which may go against your wishes.There are certain disciplines and restrictions which everyone has to follow.
Its no way easy running a joint family.Every person is equally important and to respect the feelings,needs and concerns of everyone keeping all the constraints in mind is a task not easy to handle and i just wonder the ease with which my dad manages it all but then equally important is for everyone to have faith and respect in the decisions of the eldest in the family.Since there are lots of people,there are sure to be differences of opinions but then respecting the opinions of all and even then coming out with a solution is the trick to living in a joint family.
Since my childhood i've seen my parents tied with lots of family responsibilities.to the times when they were struggling very hard in their lives to get our future secure to the time when they are amongst the best businesspersons in town.I feel my life has been so easy compared to them.At times, i feel i have got more independence than i ever deserved. I still feel ,that i can never match to the human beings they have been in their life.
2 comments:
very well written, straight from heart. I was not aware of these facets of joint family. I've always lived in a small family and I kept myself secluded for most of the time. I do agree that joint families are more fun but then it is tough to strike a balance in every sphere. People tend to go with thier own viewpoint.
hi amod,
With no arguments,it is always easier living in a nuclear family.There are so many things u hav to learn to ignore when u live in a joint family.But as the saying goes"unity is strength".My dad says they wud have never been able to offer us this lifestyle if they weren't united.
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