Forced caretakers.

Sunit and Geeta. Both of them are IT professionals and were our long-term neighbors. Recently, they chose to leave Bhubaneswar behind and shift to Bangalore. better salary, better perks, and a higher standard of living. These were the reasons behind their choice. And of course, there was also a better chance for them to work abroad in the near future by working in the IT hub of our country. But while making this decision, the first obstacle came in the form of their two children, aged 5 and 3, respectively. It's true that they could easily afford two caretakers for their two children. But that didn't provide assurance of proper care.

The type of care the children used to get from their grandparents How can some stranger take proper care of their children? So both of them urged their parents to come to Bangalore with them for the sake of their grandchildren. And here the second obstacle came forward. Sunit's parents did not at all agree to their son's proposal of moving to some other unknown city when they have such a grand house in Bhubaneswar. When they have their relatives and friends here, why should they prefer to go to another city to settle there at this age? They literally pleaded with Sunit not to unsettle their lives and not to displace them from their homeland at such a stage of life.

They were afraid of their freedom being compromised in an unknown land. living a life of isolation, being far away from all the known faces. They cried; they pleaded. They even said that they don't need much money to live a grand and comfortable life. They already have enough to live the life of their dreams. But this pleading, this crying, and the sighs of his parents could not melt Sunit's heart. Rather, he threatened, even directly to his parents, that if, at his times of need, they wouldn't help him and Geeta, then they would never return to Odisha. And they will yearn for their grandchildren but won't see them or be able to meet them again. At last, that old couple surrendered to the will of their arrogant and selfish son. Because he is their only son. And their whole lives revolve around his happiness and his choices.

They had to always sacrifice their preferences, their lives, and their choices for Sunit. But at this age, too! The moments of their departure—the time when they locked their house and sat in the cab for the airport—were truly heartbreaking. Those two pairs of tired eyes were full of tears of betrayal. We were astonished to see the aloofness in Sunit's and Geeta's eyes. How could some people be so mean and heartless?

This is only one example that I have witnessed very recently. But there are many such old people who are dragged here and there by their own children for the sake of their children's children as forced caretakers. Against their will and their consent, their lives become unsettled and displaced from their own homes. It's true that research says, taking care of grandchildren helps old people maintain their cognitive power and keeps them happy. But is it possible for people like Sunit's parents, the forced caretakers, to feel happy in a situation that has been imposed on them forcefully? Rather, isn't it cruel to them?
Bhubaneswar
9238999758
preetiprajnapradhan@gmail.com