They are affectionately called as Dadaji and Dadima or Nanaji and Nanima; or Tata and Pati or Aazoba and Ajji. Grandparents play multiple roles in our family and society. We look up to them for advice on matters which perplex our generation. They look after their grandchildren when both parents are away on work or while they party. They play with the children, and recollect memories of their past, when they were parents to the child’s parents. They play the role of baby-sitters. Grandmothers sing lullabies to their grandchildren, while grandfathers relate incidents and anecdotes to them, with morals in each anecdote. These lessons are picked up from the grandparents by their grandchildren, who thus imbibe the positive values of culture, discipline and good living from the elders.
Grandparents provide security and stability to the family. They become a kid’s best companion during its growing years. They act as stress busters. Hence grand parents are a blessing in a family.
In today’s globalised society, there are very few joint or extended families, especially in the Western countries. In India too, with the increasing exodus of people towards cities for employment over the years, particularly with the advent of the IT and software culture, the concept of nuclear families has taken ground. In such a scenario, the grandparents are left to fend for themselves either in the same city or elsewhere. Hence Grandparents’ Days should be used to offer them exclusive and quality time with their grandchildren. At the same time, grandchildren get a chance to be pampered by the elders. The grandchildren also learn to shower love, warmth and fondness on the elderly.
As we strive to reinforce the continuing values of the family, it is fitting that we pay respect to our grandparents. They are our continuing link to the past, to the happenings, our thinking, way of life and experiences that impact our lives strongly.
Grandparents’ Day is celebrated to symbolize the fact that they are in their autumn years of their lives. The official flower of Grandparents’ Day – ‘forget-me-not’ is symbolic of the fact that we must keep alive our memories and not allow them to fade away and is a touching reminder that there is very limited time to pursue the grandparents-grandchildren relationship.
On behalf of all of us and our youngsters, I take this opportunity to thank grandparents and senior citizens of society for their continued service to society and for providing direction to the new generations. The efforts made by these elders in bringing up the next generations with the right values are the cornerstones of any society. The generation gap is minimized by events such as Grandparents’ Day which help them in communicating with their grandchildren.
I wish to conclude by these two very apt definitions.
A grandmother is a baby-sitter who watches the kids instead of the television. – Anonymous
A grandfather is someone with silver in his hair and gold in his heart. – Anonymous
Thank you grandparents and senior members of our society – we will always be indebted to you for your sacrifice.
Anup Y. Attavar
Connecting Indians
B.E. Mech. (COEP, Pune); P.G.D. – International Trade (IIFT, New Delhi)
Alumnus – Loyola High School, Pune (India)
Special Correspondent – Dwarka Parichay (Western India)
Independent Statement of Purpose (SOP) Counselor & Content Writer
Editor – ‘World Famous Indian Scientists’
Writer – Company Profiles, Speeches & Articles
Email: anup.attavar@gmail.com
