Line of Control

Slang conveys a lot about culture.

One word I repeatedly heard while growing up was “advanced.” They meant to say “modern” or “cool,” but the slang term was never used positively.

(They have become ‘too advanced’ to follow customs.)

“They” were the target of ridicule or sarcasm – You are not one of us anymore.

I wondered why progress was not applauded.

Moving out of boundaries meant getting out of reach, moving beyond the line of control. Those who were left behind did not feel included.

It did not end there. Attribution of ignoble motives, suspicion, and derision all followed. It was imagination going wild about what could happen on the other side of the fence.

Thankfully, globalisation has restrained wagging tongues. Now, almost every family has a child studying or working abroad, and choosing to marry in their adopted country. Some of them choose to stay single or are in live-in relationships. Parents are clueless about future events and go with the flow. They shrug responsibility for their offspring’s lifestyle and say in a resigned tone, “As they wish…”

I wish the previous generations had done the same. Going after your heart’s desire would not have felt like a crime.

So many would have escaped mental torture for overstepping boundaries they never noticed or recognised.

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RXC #426