The generation of rootless trees
The union government is planning to bring out an act on Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (2007) aimed at serving the elderly live in self-respect and peace. The government is also contemplating on penalizing children of senior citizens who do not offer care and support to them. They may have to face a jail term of three months to six months if they fail to meet the needs of their aging parents. The government is also willing to review the amount of contribution of Rs 10,000 to be made towards the expenses the parents would incur for their living. The law is awaiting the cabinet approval on this act that is a reflection of the weakening family system in the country.
The relationship of parents and children is bound by umbilical cord which is beyond the regulations of a law. No law tells the mother to feed her child. No mother takes care of the child for the fear of law. They do this because they love their children without any selfish motives. Even animals and birds protect their children.
In a country like ours, the family structure is based on such bonds and emotions. Ours was a country once known for joint family system. It also had a fair share of negatives too. There were hardly any situations where people would be brought to streets because one member wasn’t self sufficient or wasn’t able to support himself. The ancient root and the new sprouts would live together in one space. Now these families have broken down to smaller units. Yet parents living with children or one of their sons and daughters is not an unusual thing. And children have to take care of their parents the way they cared for them when they were small. This is not a favour they are doing to their parents, but a duty and a value one has to associate with the structure of the family. We cannot expect to have a sweet harvest by sowing seeds of bitter fruits.
More than this, the current generation has to change its opinion about its parents that they are ‘useless’ people living in the house. As is the root, so is the tree. If we do not see this truth, we may be in for a rude shock because this is exactly what our children will do to us in case of the inevitability of us getting old. If we are savouring the fruits of good economy and technology breakthroughs today, it is the result of the sacrifices our parents made for us. And throwing them out on the streets is to commit a heinous crime of turning back on our duty. They have the right to live with self respect as much as we do. And even senior citizens should overcome the inferiority and negative thoughts about themselves and their condition in case their children abandon them. In the event of them being thrown out on the road, the chances of them going to the court against their own children seeking justice, and being alive by the time they get a verdict – would be a rarest of rare occurrence. In the recent times, one aged couple went to court seeking mercy killing because their children had abandoned them. This is a stark and cruel reflection of what’s in the store for days to come.
Any act may not fully serve justice to the parents if they are wronged by their children. A son who does not care for his parents may not get his punishment only on the form of his time in the prison, but he may actually be abandoned by his own children as a poetic justice! With the increase in old age homes, senior citizens may be living a life with dignity. But they still remain the epitome of breakdown of human relationships. Men and women have to care for their parents without being told. This way, the new legislation the central government is going to enact is a highly appropriate and timely one. The society and government have to contemplate on ways of holding up the collapsing societal norms. The cracks in the relationships have to be filled with love, and if it becomes inevitable, a law should step in to do that job too.
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Axar shifts focus to next IPL after KKR all but end DC's campaign
New Delhi (PTI): A beleaguered Axar Patel admitted that both his team's batters and bowlers let the side down after Delhi Capitals suffered a humiliating eight-wicket defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders, virtually ending their IPL 2026 playoff hopes, while indicating the team had already begun looking ahead to the next season.
DC endured a miserable outing at home, managing only 142/8, which Kolkata Knight Riders chased down in just 14.2 overs, powered by a blistering unbeaten 100 from Finn Allen and his destructive stand with Cameron Green (33 not out) as the visitors tore apart the bowling attack.
With just eight points from 11 matches, DC are eighth on the table, while KKR revived their playoff hopes with a resurgent run, moving to seventh with nine points from 10 outings, though their road to the knockouts still remains difficult.
"For now, we'll go back and think about the mistakes we made. After that, obviously there's still a long journey ahead and next year will come too. So we'll think about what plans we can make for next year and what approach we should take," said Axar after the match.
"Based on that, we can also look at the players sitting on the bench and decide who can be given opportunities and what changes we can make," he added, hinting at a possible major overhaul next season.
With 200-plus totals becoming the norm this season, 142 was always going to be inadequate, and Axar admitted the score was well below par while also pointing out at poor judgement shown by the spinners while defending the modest total.
"I think the runs were definitely below par and at the same time the spinners made quite a few mistakes. Looking at the way the pitch behaved, I feel the spinners did make errors.
"At the same time, we lost five wickets in two-three overs, and I think that's where the momentum slipped away from us. That's probably something we need to think about because the same thing happened against CSK...we started well, and then suddenly wickets kept falling," he added.
He admitted the solutions to the issues could be found but players need to show the right mindset and character.
"See, you can't solve it in a complicated way. So, I think it's more about applying the right mindset. Even if you lose one or two wickets, you can still spend time at the crease and play through it. I think that's what needs to be applied, when wickets are falling in clusters, you need to absorb the pressure for an over or two," opined Axar.
KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane was pleased to see a struggling Finn Allen finally rediscover his touch with the bat.
"I'm really happy for Finn Allen. He was struggling first four or five games, working really hard, but the way he batted tonight was fantastic. But I want to praise our bowlers again.
"We did well because of them. And they've been doing it so well consistently, especially those middle overs and the death overs. Our spinners, Sunil Narine, Varun (Chakravarthy) and Anukul Roy, have been fantastic," he said.
"Fielding-wise, yes, we are working really hard. Our fielding coach has been really strict with us. And that's what has been helping us. The result which you've been seeing about the catches and the ground fielding, credit goes to our fielding coach as well," he added.
