The Best Generation

7.15 am IST

“Maa!” I screamed, “I am so late for office. My alarm didn’t ring. You should have checked if I was up or not, right?”

“I called you twice but you were too sleepy to reply, leave aside waking up. Plus you came home very late yesterday from work and you hardly slept this week. So I just thought to let you sleep more”, she replied in an equally calm voice.

I retorted after a pause, “How can you just assume things Mom?!” and rushed for shower.

My Mom is a middle aged woman who got married at the age of 19. Scary, isn’t it? Almost two decades ago, she got a job offer from a Government Organization, that is two weeks before her tying the knot. And when she had to choose between her dream job and getting arranged married, she chose to be a housewife for the rest of her life. Scarier! But the scariest part is that, her decision pivoted around the society first, then her family and then herself. Or I think she never existed in her priority list.

But that’s how I think! She seems to be in an eternal bliss with all the decisions that she made in her life. I know if she could, she would have done the job and she would have done it well but she thinks it was not worth the turbulence it would have created in a middle class society. She always says, “Look at the brighter side.”

I was born when Maa was very young so as the years passed, we grew together. As a child, I used to study by the side of the kitchen and sometimes she used to tell me stories of her childhood while cooking. I would read out to her the essays I wrote and she would say each time that I did great. As I grew up, I studied in my room but still went by the kitchen for a chat with her every now and then.

My Mom is a born mother. Out of all the roles that she plays throughout the day, I think the ‘Mother’ in her is the most dominant one and maybe that’s why everything now is how it is.

7.23 am IST

I rushed out of the shower to iron my clothes. As I was about to enter my room in the first floor, I heard a feeble voice calling out my name. It was my Grandma. “Is it very urgent, Thammi?” I asked holding the door knob of my room. The answer as if echoed in my ears “Yes”.

I rushed downstairs; she was in the Puja Ghar (a room or place in the house where Idols are worshiped). She handed over to me a small chit kind of thing and said, “Keep this thing in your bag, this will protect you. I offered Puja in your name yesterday for your well-being. I get really worried when you return home so late.” I took that piece, smiled and told her, “Don’t worry Thammi” and rushed upstairs.

There is this lady who is 88 years old; she survived multiple bone breakages, three surgeries including one open heart, two cerebral attacks and a huge joint family but she still looks very beautiful. She is the most strong-willed woman I know in person. She is much disciplined; has a very high self-esteem and has an astonishingly intense faith in her God. She says she has witnessed miracles and I believe her.

Though my Thammi dates back to the British-ruled era, she has a very liberal outlook in the most unexpected aspects. I remember when I was dating my first boyfriend, I somehow felt more comfortable sharing it with Thammi than Maa. And to my amazement, she was not angry or upset when I added that the guy is from a different religion. She said, “I understand, I have myself been in a love marriage. Just be happy in life, that’s very important.” This was six years back. And I am sure it wouldn’t have been this cake-walk a conversation with my Mom on this topic.

I know all her stories about how she had to take the responsibility of her family when her mother passed away, how she had to quit school but continued reading at home, how the British soldier stalked her to home, how all the eligible bachelors in the locality wanted to marry her and how she fell in love with my Dadai (Grandpa).

A year back, I was having this similar conversation with Thammi, where she asked me about my first boyfriend. I told her we are not in talking terms. She asked in concern, “Is everything alright?” I just replied that we were not together anymore. She smiled and said, “It’s okay for relationships to end. If you like someone else, that’s life but don’t cheat or hurt anyone”. It was nothing new I was listening to, but this wisdom from a 1930’s woman was very heartwarming. My Mom overheard the conversation and remarked, “I don’t understand how you people change boyfriends so often. We just knew we had to stay with this one person and the rest fell into place.”

7.25 am IST

I rushed to my room. There I saw my sister ironing my favorite pair of top and trousers. On seeing me, she said, “I am almost done and I know you are finicky about what to wear on which day to office so I took no chance and ironed your favorite pair.” I was touched and said, “Thank you Sri, you saved me. I thought you were studying in the second floor.”

She said, “I was. I have my Selections starting tomorrow but I can spare 15 minutes.” I was feeling nice but was also curious about the reason for her nicety. I asked her, jokingly, “Do you want anything from me?” She laughed, “Listen, don’t waste time, put on the dress and go to office”. I agreed. The moment I was going to shut the door, she stopped me with a grin, “By the way, I don’t mind if you get me something for this!”

This generation, what do they call it – Gen Y, Gen Z, Gen Z++, I am not very sure. Judging by my sister, who is preparing for her first Board Examination, is a very interesting one. She is a complete rebel. Compromise is not in her books. I think she took the ‘One life’ concept way too seriously. Well, everybody should but for her nothing can wait. She doesn’t listen to anybody at home, except me. She says I understand her. Well, I try to understand her and relate to what she says but not every time I can make sense of what and why she says so. Confusing right? That’s exactly what I sense the most in her. She has too many things going on at a time inside that little mind of her.

She is perhaps more matured than I was at her age but she is definitely smarter than all of us put together in my family. I remember Dad putting a password lock for Internet in our PC so that Sri doesn’t waste time on social networking site. Holy mother of God! She cracked the password using an application in a day. And she claimed it was very simple. Maybe it was, but I would have never intended to do it. She is into sports and not dance (which is a tradition in our family) but she quit dance and chose athletics after a long hot and cold war with my parents. Probably I wouldn’t have done this too.

Though she is 10 years younger to me, I share almost everything with her and sometimes she advises me like my elder sister. She pampers me, surprises me on my birthdays, packs my bag when I am going for a trip and also irons my clothes when I am dead late for office. We share PJs, gossips, jackets, slippers and a lot of madness which are inexplicable. She can give me classes on the latest un-parliamentary words and why I should drink-smoke-weed. She has also assured me that even if I want to marry a female someday, she would back me up. Now that’s intense!

7.31 am IST.

I grabbed my bag and laptop and as I was about to head downstairs, Mom came out of the kitchen and handed me over a small carry bag and said, “I made your favorite Paneer last night but you were too tired to eat, so I packed it for your lunch today” I felt delighted and said, “You’re the best Mom on Earth!” and planted a kiss on her cheeks and ran downstairs.

From the door I shouted, “Bye Thammi, Bye Maa, Bye Sri”. I always do this, out of habit.

As I stepped out, I looked at my watch and was relieved to see that I was only 2 minutes behind my usual schedule.

After a few steps as I turned back to wave Goodbye (which I also do everyday as a habit), I saw Thammi by the door, Mom at the first floor window and Sri at the second floor balcony, all three of them waving back at me. And there I had the three women from three different generations who meant the world to me.

With that sight, a happy realization filled my mind - I don’t know which generation is the best but I definitely know I have the best of the three generations.