We have forgotten to sit together and enjoy finer moments of life. The joint families are divided into three parts – the children, the parents and the grand-parents. There is an unexplained demarcation of generation gap and understanding emotions.
I remember an incident within my close family friends. Or should I say a lesson learnt.
One of my close friends was living with his father, mother, his wife and two children. Since he is quite occupied in his business, he could not give time to his family, and that included his parents as well. The parents were quite old and thus needed his care, and more importantly, his interaction.
Unfortunately, his mother died few years back due to loneliness & depression, and post that, his father developed a disliking for his own family.
His father had an old wooden chair and he would generally sit quietly on that chair for hours together. Sometimes, he couldn’t even make out if anyone was at home – even when everyone was.
Tired and fed-up with the situation, his father decided to ask everyone in the family for at least two hours in a week to sit together and talk to each other. Everyone agreed to have this conversation on the dining table. But on the dining table, while having meals, everyone remained glued to their mobile phones. Thus, no interaction and no conversation.
The formula had failed. Now his father came with another formula, asking all to watch TV together – may be a good movie. All family members agreed, came together, but again, someone was watching Netflix, some Prime and some Disney on their mobile phones. This idea failed too.
The menace of mobile phones was quite evident.
Few days passed and one day while having late night walk, his father met his old friend who was going out for the dinner with his family. The old man was happy but jealous too. He decided to speak to his friend and take his advice to resolve his issue.
His friend said – “I was suffering too from the same syndrome and I decided to secretly install ‘Signal Jammer’. Every day I would switch it on through remote for about 1-2 hours daily, particularly during breakfast and dinner time. Not able to get the signals, my family had only one option – and that was to talk to each other. And it worked. Now they we all sit together and enjoy.”
His father was very happy to listen to this idea and he also decided to secretly get the ‘Signal Jammer’ installed in the house. Eventually, it was installed.
The very first day he switched on the ‘Signal Jammer’ during morning breakfast. Everyone panicked – “God this signal. Again, signal issue.” The old man smiled and started eating his breakfast. After 5-minutes he initiated the conversation with my friend – “How is your work. I believe everything is going great.” My friend started explaining the current market scenario and how much challenging it has become to sustain business.
Next day also his father did the same thing – but this time during the dinner time. Now he asked his grand-children about their studies and sports etc. The kids started speaking about the school, teachers, games and exams. The father also started sharing stories and old memories and how naughty my friend was in his childhood.
Then next day, my friend’s wife and his daughter-in-law also started talking about the new things she was leaning – the yoga, painting and baking items.
After few days my friend’s father decided to apply ‘Signal Jammer’ randomly during the day. But now the reactions were not that strong. The atmosphere had already changed considerably.
Few days passed, and one day before the dinner, his father decided to put forward his desire to have South Indian meals. He knew it would not be immediately possible to prepare, so the only option for the family would be, to go to nearby restaurant. The family decided so. My friend was driving car, his father was sitting next to him, and his children and wife on the back seat. They all went to a nearby South Indian restaurant.
As they all walked inside, his father saw his very same friend sitting with his family and enjoying dinner. They both mischievously shared smile and the thumbs went up too. His father ensured that he engaged the entire family with his entertaining stories and incidents. Everyone laughed and enjoyed. The strategy was working perfectly.
When all came back from the restaurant and everyone went back to their room – wishing good-night, and the old man also came back in his room, suddenly, his door knocked and he saw his daughter-in-law standing and smiling.
With folded hands and tears rolling out of her eyes, she whispered – “Thank You Papa”.
His father was stunned. He had no idea what had happened. He smiled and asked his daughter-in-law to explain – “What happened Beta. Thank you for what”.
She handed him the remote of ‘Signal Jammer’ and said – “Papa, I knew when you got the ‘Signal Jammer’ installed in your room. I only paid the person in cash so that no one knows about this secret. I also saw you exchanging smile with your friend in restaurant – who gave you this advice. After many long days, I saw you relaxed and enjoying the moments when we all are together. I had also seen tears rolling out of your eyes when you succeeded first in making everyone talk during breakfast. And, I also saw how you were creating and telling stories that were more of fantasies.”
“In all this happiness Papa, today you forgot to switch-on ‘Signal Jammer’, and I did it for you. After many years we all looked like a family. This ‘mobile’ has made all of us ‘immobile’. Thank you for bringing all of us together”, she said.
His father was silent and happy, even though his plan was no more a secret. He could realise the need for talking to each other in his daughter-in-law eyes. His throat choked and he could just whisper – “Jeete Raho Beta”.
The daughter-in-law turned back and went to her room, not realising that, in the dark shadow, there was one more person who was listening to all this conversation – he was my friend. Rather a son, a father and a husband. After all, he was the one who had left cash in the drawer to be paid to the “Electrician”. He knew ‘Signal Jammers’ cannot be installed in the houses, and instead, he installed a remote switch that disconnected the Wi-Fi-Signals.
No one wanted to challenge what his father had decided. No one wanted to know that they know everything. What they realised was – “Why he decided to take this extreme step.”
Guess, his father kept applying the ‘Signal Jammer’ for few more days and gradually, the mobile phone disappeared from the dining table. His father also forgot where he had kept the remote of ‘Signal Jammer’.
Now you would wonder about the role of little kids in all this. Well, who else could have stolen the remote of the ‘Signal Jammer’.