Within two years of stay at one place, my dad would suddenly spring a surprise, ‘Be ready for a change of place’.
Those days you do not have packers and movers on your beck and call. My mother would collect old news papers, used clothes and other packing materials. She would pack all the household items and keep only necessary items essential for cooking for the last day. We used to have a big wooden box to store all the kitchen utensils which will be stuffed just before leaving the place.
After lunch the truck will come to transport the household goods to the new place. Reaching new destination, we would stay in a guest house for a couple of days until the goods arrived and an accommodation is found. In the new place, my dad would take us to the best school for admission, after making thourough enquiry with the local people. Just a meeting with the Head master, the admission for all would be done!
I am counting the number of schools I have studied upto my 11th grade(SSLC). I could not just believe the fact that I had studied in 9 schools!
These days schools occupy the centre stage in the minds of parents. Parents first decide about a school and spend all their resources to secure an admission for their children in that particular school. Once admitted, the child is not removed from school, come what may!
I have observed parents switching their jobs if they are transferred from one place, instead of relocating there with the family, as the child is studying in a ‘good’ school. Sometimes, single parent would manage the child whilst the spouse would accept the transfer or change of job.
I have this family friend who has taken up a job in UAE. His child is studying in one of the reputed schools in Bangalore. This friend is now torn between the idea of bringing the family to UAE or to continue to live alone here by leaving his spoue to manage the child who studying in that 'reputed school' back home.
His relatives and friends circle, barring myself whose childhood experience is quite unique, are advising him against shifting the family from Bangalore.
For a person who has studied in 9 schools during 11 year of school education,this fixation of modern day parents, is difficult to understand.
After all we should admit that they are from a different school of thought!
4 comments:
Subuji,that's a slice of my life too-the constant packing and moving!!
But the world those days was so different from today's cut-throat world. Life moved at an easy pace, neither children nor parents were so frighteningly focused as we are now.
Result:we got a well-rounded education for life, whereas today's kids get just a good education.
Here for the first time . Here through Ramesh's blog.
Liked what you wrote. It reminded me of our umpteen number of shifts we made and it has not ceased even now. Once my son asked me the question, 'dad you tell you are transferred but you attend the same company while I have to go to different schools'? But this changes have made my son very much accommodative and flexible.
ya both latha and chitra have said right...but one good thing about moving places is: when we sit back one day and think,, we feel the experience is all worth it...after all, life is a bundle of experiences..what say?
Latha& Ramesh,Thanks for the comments.
Chitra, you made a wonderful quote!'dad you tell you are transferred but you attend the same company while I have to go to different schools'?
Education, has shifted from being an important aspect of an individual's life to that of a lifestyle-stereotype.
It is a joint venture of parent & child in every houshold
Post a Comment