One of the earliest posts in this blog was about an injured dog abandoned by its owner in the streets of Kozhikode. Almost a year later, I come across similar reports almost daily in the news papers. There is a small difference though, this time around it is the old, helpless men and women who are being abandoned in the streets of God’ Own Country. Over the last one week, three such incidents have been reported from different parts of Kerala.
One fine morning, an old couple was found abandoned in the outskirts of Kozhikode. They were found in a roadside with a bed and some baggage. They were dumped at that spot by their kith and kin.
In another incident, the old parents were found outside their own locked home. They were living with their eldest son and family, who left for Bangaluru. While leaving, the son threw out his parents and locked the home. The old couple were found on the car porch of the home with no means of food and proper shelter. This happened in the outskirts of the metro city of Kochi. This couple had three children, all of whom are well educated and well employed.
Two days ago, a woman over 70 years old was found abandoned in the Kozhikode railway station. She was in the station for two days before somebody alerted the civic authorities.
Of course, this is not a new incident. Over the years, we have heard so many similar stories. And I suspect we would be hearing a lot more in the years to come. All the more disturbing is the fact that there have not been many responses to these incidents in the media, from the common man or from the elite political, social and religious think tanks.
The corollary is the story of abandoned children, those who yearn for the love and affection of their parents. The plight of the children of divorced parents is terrible.
I wonder where we are headed as a society. Is wealth generation the ultimate aim? How much wealth can buy you love and happiness? What price could you pay for a peaceful night’s sleep? What position and power can guard you when the tide turns?
For it is only a matter of time before you are called upon to pay for your deeds, not in the cross road between heaven and hell, but here in the world which is the arena of your own deeds and misdeeds.
I think it is time to invent a catchy phrase for the children who abandon their parents. I suggest the one given as the title of this post, Orphan’s Children.........
2 comments:
Children abandoning their aged parents makes them sound like monsters. Yet, i wonder what the truth is behind such horror stories. In India children are taught to do their duty by their parents. But what about love? If there were deep ties of love and affection between parents and children (as there ought to be) would such things happen? And what kind of parents are unable to inspire love in their progeny? I thin the issue might be more complicated than it appears.
There are families in which children are denied the love and affection that they deserve. Often, parents fail miserably in imbibing the traits of kindness, love and trust in the minds of their children.
In a world where role models are rare, some parents do set bad examples for the children to follow. Also, I feel our education system has failed miserably in helping the child evolve as a better individual.
Still, I would like to see people dealing with such situations in a more matured way. A teenager may feel justified in paying back in kind to his parents and the society. The same should not be the case for a person who is married, is supposed to be mature and has a family of his own.
Post a Comment