Friday, February 23, 2007

Parents and Senior Citizens bill – A Reflection of the Times We Live In?



India has long been synonymous for its deep-rooted culture & strong family bonding to the extent of being called “highly emotional people”. Among the few countries where parents consider it their duty to fund the education of their children right upto college & beyond, contribute all their life savings for their expensive weddings and are most happy to babysit their grandchildren.

For a generation that grew up on the stories of Shravan and Dhruv & where high-strung movies like Hum Aapke Hain Koun and Vivaah still run to packed houses, it’s funny that today we have come to require the Parents and Senior Citizens Bill. The passing of such a bill subtly warns us that in our hurry to jump the progress bandwagon we seem to have far left behind our principles and values.

Well, the Bill lays down that children who neglect their parents could be sent to jail for three months or be liable to pay a fine of Rs 5,000. It also empowers parents to disinherit their children from their property. The best factor of this Bill has been that no age limit has been defined. It’s completely another matter to see how many takers will be there for this Bill among the parent population.

If movies are a reflection of the society we live in then no wonder we get to see Bhagbaan.

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