“You can get the spatula set to go with it
too”
I turned curiously from my browsing, in the
store, to look at the daily dramas that go around us all the time.
Mother and a young adult debating on what to
buy. I wondered whether it was to set up a new house or just to refurbish mom’s
old kitchen.
“What is the skimmer used for? “asked Mom.
“It’s like our Challni, to deep fry puris or
to skim things off the surface” was the impatient answer
The attendant sales person was hovering
around the duo with helpful comments to edge them to make a sale.
I went off to browse around the crockery
department. There were a few “Happiness “cups. I was pondering whether or not I
should add to my collection. “nah” I said to myself, “No place to keep the cups
and more importantly no people to use them!” This is what the children call my
Mall ritual! Every once in a while, I go to my favourite Mall and window shop. I
have my favourite shops – electronics, books, home improvement and lastly the
bags shop. This is how I keep myself up to date about what is new in the
market.
I can the hear the impatient sighs of my
readers! The questions like “what is the internet for?”, What about the online
shopping sites? “or “the millions of forums”, abound around me. Well! To be
honest I have been there and done that, but the heady feeling of being able to
touch the soft bed-sheets or the fluffy towels can never be replaced by the all-angle
photographs or live videos.
It’s the eternal argument of digital versus
the printed books! I love the way, I research on my electronics (Cell phone,
laptop or tablet) before I settle for one. I go to at least three to four
establishment before I make up my mind to part with my money. I adore flipping
through new books (the smell is so nostalgia filled!) and my god! All the bag
shop sales person knows me personally! I pick up the bags, feel it, check each
zipper then close my eyes and imagine where I would fit what into each of its
receptacle. Then shake my head if it doesn’t fit my requirement and move onto
the other. I have been looking for the perfect wallet to replace my three-year-old
one but Alas! I have yet to find one.
Once upon a time, I window shopped because I
lived on a budget with a growing family. Now though there is no budget, there is
no necessity either! Irony of life. But the training of window shopping is
still a lovely pastime. It is therapeutic, peaceful and indulgent. Not meant
for the nine to five hard working young people but if they could
squeeze in some time it is worth the effort!
Back to the present! The duo was still at it
hammers and tong! Teal versus purple, coated versus plain, and plastic versus
wooden (Spoon sets!). The mother was quiet and soft while the young adult-aggressive
and a tad offensive and the poor sales person yo-yoing between the two! She wasn’t
sure about who was paying and who was buying and so who should she support? She
was, I realized, amusedly walking the tight rope between the two.
“The stone finish is better, beta”, the
mother offered tentatively
“But the coated ones use less oil”, argued
the ‘on-the-overweight’ side off-spring
“Not really”, murmured the experienced Mum, “they
spoil much faster”
“Let them”, the belligerent voice rasped back,
“I don’t plan to use it for more than two years!”
“Then buy the cheaper ones, use them and
throw them”, advised the mater
“It won’t go with the deco, Ma!”
“Beta, why don’t you decide with the help of
this young lady here? I need to pick up aroma candles for Mita Aunty. Give me a
call when you are done”
Lovely lesson for every mother with a new
adult in the family! Give your advice- it’s your duty as a mother but whether it’s
taken or not should be left to the newly decisive person. It’s like voting we
can only voice our opinion we cannot force someone to vote for our beliefs.
Curbing my impulse to intervene, I walked
away. There was mixed feeling within me. I understood both their point of view.
The one with the experience did not want her child to make mistakes, the other
one wanted to make his own decision, make his mistakes and learn from them (Hopefully!)
But
what cheered me up considerably was the gender of the young adult- A young man
who was setting up his pad. He was planning to cook and live by himself and an
Indian mother who was encouraging this. There is still hope for this country
filled with gruesome gender figure ratios and female foeticide and dowry
harassment! He might belong to 0.0025% of this huge population but it is a huge
step nevertheless.
All
of you who have criticized my worthless window shopping experience, know now
that each time I go, I am a witness to small cameos of life which have the
capacity to cheer me up and know that this is not the end of the world. Faith
and hope will push us ahead despite …….
