A Thought For An Elderly Haresh Lalchand Lalwani   © Copyright 2021 by Haresh Lalchand Lalwani

 “One likes to spend and enjoy priceless moments with loved ones and family at old age” said a world-known writer, who quietly spent his days and nights in total silence and tranquillity, which roared into his ears that no one was interested to spend time as he had grown too old to synchronise with the tunes of life of the younger generation. It is very unfortunate that thousands of parents are discarded and thrown away to Old-Aged Homes.

There are so many children who are orphans, who have no parents, who know nothing about life, who know nothing about the world, which is dark, with no guidance, with no caretakers, with no one to teach the right and the wrong. Ask them, as they crave for love, they starve for a word of affection, they miss the mother’s touch and the father’s pouch. The mother’s touch, which does pacify and the father’s pouch, which gets chocolates and toys for the little-ones. These helpless orphans miss all the fun and they miss their parents so, so, so much. It’s a pity !

Ask them, the true value of a dad and a mom and you will find ‘moist eyes’ staring at you, with their silent expression, that will echo the loudest impression of emptiness. They know and feel the priceless value of the precious treasure that they are deprived of. Dull is their life who have no parents !

Unfortunate are they, the ‘parentless kids’, unaware are they…..of the melodious lullabies which lull the tiny-tots to sleep, that’s dreamless. Half-baked and insecure is the life of the parentless because ‘for them’ life is aimless and baseless. Struggle they, at every point, with the blank-slate of tomorrow, whose strictures hunt for colourful chalks to portray the blissful pictures of life. Foggy and unpredictable becomes life.. a blank-slate with no chalks !  A big question-mark, whose answer was always conspicuous by its absence !

Lucky are the kids who have good parents who make life comfortable, who help the toddlers build and gild the family, who hold their little hands and guide them at every step, towards a full-fledged future. They say that lucky parents who have fine children usually have lucky children who have fine parents.

Parents are never as bad as kids think they are. A Japanese proverb says that a father’s goodness is higher than the mountain and the mother’s goodness deeper than the sea. But, it’s a pity, that many don’t understand and value this great proverb. The modern age, today, has a very negligible thought for an elderly and it is very painstaking, my dear !

Everyone of us, with great interest, should focus on the sensitive and sensible relationship between parents and children and bring-in more brightness in the weary goddamned world which deprives the oldies from the love, the affection, the respect, the happiness, they deserve more than they desire.

Endless, changeless, boundless and timeless is love which has various hues and bright colours as that between the parents and children, as that between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law, which could be termed as affection that is inexplicable, that no words could ever explain. But today, there are countless so-called daughters-in-law who do not even talk to their mothers-in-law !  Isn’t this ridiculous?   If at all, the term ‘in-law’ doesn’t smell indifferences of an ‘outlaw’ in the environs of a family, life would add fragrance of affection at home.

A simple thinking could bring-in all the happiness of the world, under one roof. Life would become a boon and prosperity would run on the wheels of fortune. The truth is that parents are not really interested in justice. They just want quiet. They just want the treasure of oneness and harmony at home and believe that hands that serve are holier than lips that pray and chant.

A thought straight from the think-tank for an elderly by every individual, would make the world a paradise really. But these days, who cares a damn?  Every youngster will turn into an oldster, one fine day ! But many people don’t bother and they think :- ‘Why consider the ancient roots, whilst the banyan is bountiful ? But, how can we be happy if they are unhappy ? It is they who sacrifice for us, struggle for us, slog for us and expect nothing from us at all, in return ! But, an ounce of love in return would be like a tonne of happiness, don’t you think so ?

While parents try to teach their children all about life, the children teach them what life is all about.

It is our prime duty to serve our parents and in-laws, whole-heartedly and provide every care, not forgetting that this day was given to us in ALMS, by them that day !

Good God Bless all the elderly, is my heart-felt plea to the kindest Almighty God !  Amen !

Haresh Lalchand Lalwani worked in Garments & Textiles since 38 years.  Enjoys writing poems, captions, slogans, essays / Music.  Home is Bangalore, India.