In this age of small, nuclear families with mostly dry and formal extended relationships, Abhishek Bachchan’s recent Instagram post that featured the entire Bachchan family definitely feels cool and soothing to the eye.
Such bonding and affection across extended family and between three generations in one frame is a rather rare sight these days!
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The picture would surely make the older generation nostalgic as it reminds us of the typical Indian joint family that was once an integral part of our culture but now can be found only in reel than real life.
With reference to another father- son picture shared by Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek captioned this post as: Since @amitabhbachchan posted a photo us post his Coolie accident whilst recovering at home, here's another.... Taken on the same day.
Isn’t it incredible that post his accident on the set of Coolie, the whole family was standing by the side of an ailing Amitabh Bachchan, helping him recuperate not only physically but also on an emotional and mental level.
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Not too long ago, Indian households would be bustling with the presence of Dada- Dadi, Chachas- Chachis, older and younger cousins and the frequently visiting Buas with their families. Every dream and desire, ambition and aspiration were family-centric than individual centric and the entire family would pool resources to fulfill them.
Yes, that’s exactly what great kith and kin bonding does to a person; it keeps one healthy, on all planes of life. We can only imagine how positively that may be impacting the tender, impressionable minds of children.
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Here’s what our kids are losing out on as we bid adieu to the good old joint family system…
- Sharing and reusing resources: The quality of sharing with others was well inculcated in children in a joint family set up where kids had to share resources with their cousins. Be it toys, books, clothes or anything else, you didn’t actually own anything entirely and even if you did, you would learn to share with others.Not to forget, right from books to school bags to school uniforms, everything of an older sibling would come down to the younger ones which made them understand the value of things, even if they became old. So the attitude was to mend and use rather than use and throw.
- Social and interpersonal skills: Children could easily develop these important skills while growing up with cousins and under the keen eye of other family elders. Hidden talents in them were brought to the forefront and appreciated while bad habits or behavior was reprimanded. This prepared them for the society at large and managing their non- family relationships in later life.
- Understanding of extended relationships: In joint family children recognized and comprehended relationships like grandparents, uncles, aunts, older and younger siblings apart from their mother and father. It was easier to understand the role and importance of every family member.
- Sense of discipline: With so many people, joint families had their own rules. For example, everyone had to eat what was cooked; no special food would be cooked for anyone.
There was affection, but no pampering. This instilled a good amount of discipline in children. Of course, rules were never rigid as every now and then grandparents would intervene and the kids could also have things their way.
The benefits of a joint family system are endless, however, with changing times it may not be possible for everyone to stay in such big families.
So to give your children a taste of what fun joint family life can be, get together once in a while, go for picnics and holidays, send them to stay with their aunts, uncles and grandparents without you and see them blooming into a dynamic individual, capable to face different odds of life.
Also Read: Amitabh Bachchan can't stop gushing over his "bahurani" and "rani"
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[Images courtesy: Instagram]
