CHANGE RESISTANCE

Recently an acquaintance of mine posted her photo on a social networking site.  Clad in trendy western outfits with matching accessories, conditioned and straightened hair, made up face and manicured nails, she looked more a model/actress than a student. What I found more surprising was her father proudly sharing her picture. There is nothing wrong in a student looking good or posing for a photo or posting a photo or her father sharing the photo.  What was surprising to me was, I have known the father as a different person.  He was a very orthodox, conservative and highly opinionated person. He imposed a lot of restrictions on his sisters and wife and they were never allowed to wear salwars and nighties even at home.  I have not met him in the recent past and I wonder how his daughter has managed to be so trendy and how much his attitude has changed.   

Thinking about this, I am reminded of what Ammamma garu said some three decades ago.  Ammamma garu was my neighbour’s mother. She lived in a distant town and once in a while visited her daughter in Madras.  Every time she visited them, she also visited our house and spent some time with us.  Water from our well was very hard and not suitable for drinking and cooking. We did not have corporation water connection and so my parents fetched water from a friend’s house, which was a few houses away from ours.  It was a difficult exercise.  Seeing the plight, Ammamma garu suggested we appoint a maid to fetch water for us.  Money certainly was a problem for us, but more than that, my mother’s conservative upbringing did not allow her to accept the suggestion.   Though Ammamma garu also belonged to our community, her family was little modern and cosmopolitan than ours.  My mother was very proud of her orthodoxy and said she would struggle as long as she can.  Ammamma garu said “change is inevitable.  Everyone has to change.  Some change a little early and some change a little later.”   Not just our family, those who were more orthodox also, now buy bottled water for consumption.

How true! Nothing is constant. We are still evolving. Change is inevitable.  Everyone has to change.  Some change a little early and some change a little later. There is no need for anyone to be proud about themselves or be judgemental about anyone else. 

I am so impressed and convinced with Ammamma garu’s statement, I have been quoting to my friends whenever there is a discussion on change resistance. Recently, my friend told me that she quoted this to her mother-in-law. The statement has now become mine.