Nitish had expressed innumerable times that he didn't like the parties she attended almost every Friday. Strange - she was a successful woman....(if success was measured by the degree to which one could juggle her career and home life, that is) she had listened to him and stopped attending.
She called her mother one day. " Mom, what is it with Men? I saw you listening to dad and see- now I am on your footsteps. Why is it that I think, I am the one responsible for a smooth running of the family ? At times I think may be because am buried deep under your " how to scale down yourself for the Family Harmony sacrificial advice". God ! I seem like referring to it like a Family Maintenance Manual. I have done enough referring and following. I haven't met my friends over the Friday parties for months. To their 'Why's' , well you know how I am, told them the truth, Nitish wasn't comfortable. They didn't need to be convinced. They understood the subtle power games of the regular Indian family set up. My friendship with them hasn't suffered, But - I have. There's a limit to which a woman can scale down. Right Mom ? Its the point where the woman as a dutiful wife is contented but the woman as an individual, as an entity is not. What do you do then ? Well you have all the answers, don't you ? You accepted that limit in situations like that. You convinced yourself to be happy but I know right from my childhood you weren't. I don't want that. I want to be selfish. Yes, selfish. I do love my family and have done my share of giving up personal time, freedom and such. After making the key people in my life happy, there's this person I have to face at the end of the day - Me. I need to keep her happy too. I need to give up somethings to do that. I have decided. I shall attend this Friday party.
She called her mother one day. " Mom, what is it with Men? I saw you listening to dad and see- now I am on your footsteps. Why is it that I think, I am the one responsible for a smooth running of the family ? At times I think may be because am buried deep under your " how to scale down yourself for the Family Harmony sacrificial advice". God ! I seem like referring to it like a Family Maintenance Manual. I have done enough referring and following. I haven't met my friends over the Friday parties for months. To their 'Why's' , well you know how I am, told them the truth, Nitish wasn't comfortable. They didn't need to be convinced. They understood the subtle power games of the regular Indian family set up. My friendship with them hasn't suffered, But - I have. There's a limit to which a woman can scale down. Right Mom ? Its the point where the woman as a dutiful wife is contented but the woman as an individual, as an entity is not. What do you do then ? Well you have all the answers, don't you ? You accepted that limit in situations like that. You convinced yourself to be happy but I know right from my childhood you weren't. I don't want that. I want to be selfish. Yes, selfish. I do love my family and have done my share of giving up personal time, freedom and such. After making the key people in my life happy, there's this person I have to face at the end of the day - Me. I need to keep her happy too. I need to give up somethings to do that. I have decided. I shall attend this Friday party.
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