Papa Kehtey Hai...

Papa kehte hain bada naam karega
Beta hamara aisa kaam karega
Magar yeh to koi na jaane
Ki meri manzil hai kahan

This is a persistent and pertinent confusion of today’s youth. As a career minded youth we have high aims and aspirations on what we should achieve or be like. In an attempt to achieve these dreams, we look forward for a dream partner in our life who would help us realise this. But do we end up in realising either of these or in making a “bada naam”?

Right from childhood we have built many aspirations and dreams. Most of these dreams are influenced or built by our parents themselves. And there is so much special importance attached because of this. So every child derives a great sense of achievement and satisfaction in fulfilling these dreams and would not like to leave any stone unturned for this. Once we land up in the corporate world, there is a reality check and we tone down our dreams and make them into realistic goals. Reaching these toned down goals itself is a painful ordeal but still we persevere because we want to put all efforts in achieving what “papa kehtey hai”.

When we see the dirty and tough corporate world we realise it is tough to wade through here and realise our dreams. We need support. Though friends are always there with us but in almost all cases they tend to pursue a different route. After all friendship is never binding. As we start thinking of marriage, we lay all our hopes on the would-be to support us. We chalk out an ideal mate for us and then expect someone close to this. (After all marriage is always a compromise and true love lies in compromising). Suddenly we encounter that someone who almost is close to this ideal mate. We think, analyse and argue with ourselves. We reason out what we are compromising and is it worth compromising on these. We are doing all this just to make parents happy. But do they realise this?

For them probably “bada naam” is something different. For them it means the pleasure in telling a zillion people that my child is ready for marriage and get a bulky rooster of “prospects” who sound good. Probably they want to weigh and measure “bada naam” in how many alliances the ward gets and how many people keep talking about him/her and has nothing to do with all the childhood dreams they have built in us.

When will they realise we are doing everything to keep them happy and it is no selfishness. When will they realise the decisions we are taking is for making them happy by realising their dreams. When will they realise the a zillion people talking about your ward is not the dream which you showed your kids. Or is it a hidden dream/agenda which is not shown to the ward? What is the real “manzil” a child has to pursue? Is it about career or marriage proposals?

Papa kehte hain bada naam karega
Beta hamara aisa kaam karega
Magar yeh to koi na jaane
Ki meri manzil hai kahan