Relatively Related - Relatives

Having spent the best part of my last couple of days visiting relatives, I thought this was something i definitely should write about ....
it was quite frustrating to realise that the precious 3 days that i had at home, was mostly spent visiting all relatives i could think of , at the same time , it was soo heart warming to see all near and dear ones, update myself with their news and give my side of news ...
It is always a pleasure to meet my mom's side of relatives in some function/gathering ... Thursday was one such time at Shyam's poonal .... Since I got married just about two months ago, Rajesh and me were the hottest topic of discussion and the most sought after people ...So, we did what the proverb precisely says " Make Hay while the sun shines" ... It is nice to be basking in people's company once a while :) .... I must have answered these questions a million times "Bangalore eppadi irukku" ... "Daily chamakiriya ??? " .... "Mazhai eppadi irundhudhu" .... "Onsite eppo porell ...."; including a host of remarks and exclamations ..."Ennadi idhu, Rajesh elchu poyitaru ... Chamakiraya illai ..." "Nalla karuthu poyitay .... romba ooru chuthala ? " .... and so on ....
Many a folks I was meeting nearly after a decade ... Cute little kids I knew had grown into beautiful charming young ladies or smart handsome teenage guys .... It was so tough to beleive it was the same kid I had seen about 9 years ago ...
I feel, one realizes the importance and need for relatives when one has stayed far away from home for a long period. It often becomes very difficult to determine between where we need relatives in our live and where we don't need.
In this world of increasing nuclear family, kids often don't know anybody beyond their nearest blood relations - this referring to mother , father , siblings, grandparents and a few cousins, aunts and uncles ...
It amazes me to always hear my grandmother talk fondly of her brother's daughter's husband's sister's sister-in-law and remember every single detail of that lady's life ... What an amazing memory and what an surprising interest in the human life ...
As my parents grew old, I could see the increasing need in them to "Be with all our close ones" ... When I spent my entire teen life in Vizag, i never saw relatives more than once a year, and that too for a couple of hours, and would hardly know the details of any of my cousin's kid ... but now as I grow , I keep more in touch with folks, take more interest in who is doing what and is living where and is intending to move how in life ... It makes me feel nice to know that i belong to a biigger family than just me and my husband ....
But as time passes and we go deeper into the moder fast , electronic world , it is becoming increasingly difficult for all people of the same family to stay in the same city , for people staying in the same city to meet each other often ... and for cousins to know new members introduced into the family tree (marriage or child birth) ... Common leave plans often don't materialize , thus not allowing us to attend functions... holidays for kids vary from place to place ...
It is in this time that this most powerful tool called E-mail comes to rescue ... YahooGroups, online photos are all tools that help us keep in touch with our beloved ones ...

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