My Science School

Once the child gets into the swing of leading an independent life, it becomes more and more difficult for him/her to consider returning to India. Lack of infrastructure and unstable political conditions in the country, which were once a part of their lives, become insurmountable problems for their future. Parents are well aware of these apprehensions in their children’s minds. Furthermore, the prospect of physical distancereinforces the fear they develop of not seeing the child for a long, long time.

 Take the case of Anirban, a commerce student of City College, Kolkata, His higher secondary results were abysmal by any standards and he faced a bleak future in his home state. He felt that even if he were to get a degree from an unknown college in the US, it would still promise a better life, if he worked hard enough. His parents were traumatised on the other hand  and even tried emotional blackmail by declaring, “Your father will suffer a heart attack if you go away.”

 Says Dr Achal Bhagat, MD, senior consultant psychiatrist, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, “Parents are basically insecure about their own future when they try to impose such restrictions on their wards. They feel that their children’s support during their old age will crumble if they let go of them. But more and more middle class families in India are getting used to the concept of their children going abroad to further their dreams. The day of saat samundar paar are over and improved communication systems help remove the mental block against children travelling abroad.”

Picture Credit : Google