Saturday, August 20, 2011

Free Gyaan

After reading the header, do I hear you say that you have got this so many times? It happens with almost all of us. When we are young, from watchman to milkman, elder brother to grand father - everyone comes and gives us gyaan on various things!

As a kid, I was always told how to behave, how to dress, how to talk and various other things. I was brought up in a small town in Gujarat. People there were pretty orthodox. Anything above the knee after the age of 10 was a sin! Wearing a short top on denim? Gosh, you are such a cheap girl! Yes, people are still this orthodox even today!

A few people still raise their eyebrows when they see my tattoos, or see others wearing short dresses for a party, or a girl smoking.Well, I do know that each of us is entitled to an opinion, but when the opinion comes across as a negative remark, the problem starts then. We commonly know it as generation gap!

So far, I was thinking that there exist a vast gap between me and elder people around me. I used to crib about how my mother does not approve of certain things that I do, certain clothes that I wear, certain kind of music I hear and movies I watch, late night parties, sleep overs etc. I always used to argue with my mother about how my friends were allowed to do certain things and I wasn't. Now, they don't tell me anything anymore as I am grown up. I have become "wise enough" to know what's good for me and what's not. Nobody gives me any lecture anymore on what I should or shouldn't be doing.

Well, I was under the impression that I was a very "modern" girl until now. I happened to meet a friend's teenage daughter. I was talking to her. She was telling me about how her life is, what kind of a lifestyle she and her friends and plenty of people of her age have, how they party, have boyfriends since standard 7, how almost all her friends have a blackberry and an iPhone each! Phew! I was amazed to say the least. I couldn't give her a lecture thanks to my mindset of the "modern girl", but I realized that our parents are at least honest. They voice out what they feel about the way we live. We pretend to be cool about many things we ain't comfortable with.

I will continue to live under the pretence, because I know how I felt about the gyaan I got from everyone around me. Whatever I think is good for me may not be so for someone else. Bah, I feel old suddenly!

9 comments:

  1. Oh! I want an iphone and an ipad and a boyfriend now!!!

    Strictly in that order

    :-P

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  2. Lol .I receive a lot of Gyaan from teens now a days .Pehle parents and now them . Ghor Kaliyug !

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  3. Being 21 myself, I can't claim to belong to a wiser generation but I am sometimes surprised that 13-14 year olds have mobiles, boyfriends and branded clothes these days. When I was that old, I couldn't even have a computer for fear that I'd be 'spoilt'.

    Hmph.

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  4. We got cable TV at home, when me and my brother moved out to study outside. And I got my first mobile when I was in 3rd year in College. :)

    Blame it on generation gap..haha
    The world is changing fast..I just hope, honest, trust and true friendship remains the same with time.. :)

    Kunal

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  5. Gyaan is always for free.I think,one has to face reality of the gen gap.

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  6. Hmm its like a cycle, one can just remain silent and watch as you did :) nice one Neha i admire your writing though commenting for the first time..

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  7. Hmm its like a cycle, one can just remain silent and watch as you did :) nice one Neha i admire your writing though commenting for the first time..

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  8. Neha,

    A time comes when parents need to understand that child has grown up and treat him or her accordingly. Authoritative behaviour has to give way to friendly and logical approach to make the child responsible to be able to apply own mind to decide right and wrong. Even elders need to see that GYAAN is given when asked for and not forced. However youngsters need to be taught to understand that they have to think rationally and not copy what others do just because of peer pressure. Sorry for this forced GYAAN.

    Take care

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