The concept of ‘The
Right Age’ is a universal one. People might differ when it comes to race, caste, sex,
religion but there is a thought that binds them together and
that is this concept of ‘The Right Age’.
Even before the sperm
got its head inside the egg and screamed ‘Ooh Baby!’, the life which might be
born after 9 mths was forever marked with this concept of ‘The Right Age’. And
once it falls out of its mother’s ‘You-Know-What’ into the dirty hands of this
ugly world, the clock starts ticking. The wheel of the Right age starts moving.
The right age to start
walking, the right age to start talking, the right age to chuck that breast
milk and eat some sambar rice, the
right age to go to kindergarten, the right age to hit the school and even the
right age to have your first period (if you are a girl that is, or else
something is very wrong). No, it does not stop there because right after all
that you have the right age to join college, the right age to drink, the right
age to have a job, the right age to marry, the right age to get laid, the right
age to have a baby and then the right age to decide all the right ages for your
child. It is like the bus in the movie ‘Speed’ which has to keep running in
order to prevent itself from blowing up into a molten junk. It will only end
with our death.
Now what if I decide to
mess up with all of that? What if I decide to start walking a year later than
expected or what if I play with the right age to have a drink or what if I want
to prepone the right age for coitus and postpone the right age of marriage?
What if I want no right age to have kids and what if I want no right age to do
what I really want to do? What if I want my own set of ‘Right Ages’ made on the
spot and untouched by what the society expects from me?
I hear people say ‘This girl is 24. This is
the right age to get married’. I want to genuinely ask these enlightened souls
“I never knew that Moses stood on Mount Sinai and screamed out the 11th
commandment ‘Thou Shalt Enter Wedlock at Holy 24’. Please tell me more about
it, will you? ”.
Society is like USA,
while your little pitiful life is like a forlorn country trying to fight its
own battles, have a sincere government and make the ends meet. Society bombs
you down and beats your dreams, all the while thinking that only good is
resulting out of this. Society is a confused leech, sticking to you and feeding
on you, yet thinking that it is actually helping you. It is our fault actually.
So the next time
someone tells you what the right age is for you, tell them that it is their
right age to mind their own business. Next time you are told that now is the
right time for some wedding show time, ask them whether they are the last descendants
of the Mayans who were too concerned even about the right age to celebrate an
Apocalypse. And if ever someone tells you that you should have some kids before
those eggs stop hatching, tell them that you are as fertile as Halle Berry who
is popping out a kid at the age of 47.
Because the right age
is a personal aspect and unless you are a puppet, you will make your own
choice.
Haha! Good one.
ReplyDelete'Right age to mind their own business'...am gonna tell that to lots of people :D :P
Hey!!! Thank you for being the first to read. :)
DeleteThis is fucking awesome!
ReplyDeleteAnd u r awesome too! :)
DeleteThe fact that this 'right' will always come with strings attached, and will carry something like 'age', 'match', 'job' yada yada yada to it, your argument on making 'right' an independent thing is invalid.
ReplyDeleteRight, so if you want a rebel and discard this concept of right age, let me give you something to imagine (it might be hilarious, but even if you do enjoy it, don't tell anybody, because it is not the 'right thing'). Allow the child to head directly for vodka after he/she stops suckling on his mamma, or produce babies at 70 when you know where would no longer be able to bear the brunt.
Apart from this, the right age to die should also be voted into vogue, there are too many rights that have been wronged by senile populace.
And there was just the right sentence that flew by, and I missed it.
I'll let you know if I catch it with your philosophy!
Cheers,
Blasphemous Aesthete
Now let us be reasonable here. I certainly did not in anyway promote a baby hitting the pub or a 70 yr old trying to have a baby. Offcourse u r right that there has to be an age restriction in all of that. I concur to that. But that is not what I am talking about here. I am talking about the restriction on age to marry (not in any way promoting child marriage or a marriage between a kid and a 70 yr old man). I am talking abt the societal pressure on a girl to marry by 24, and right after she marries, the societal pressure and the family pressure to have her first child by 28. U get me right? It is these littlw things that I meant when I used the line 'THE RIGHT AGE'
DeleteHey hey hey, don't get worked up already, I was kidding alright, I know what you meant. :)
Deleteoh... did I read this post at the right time? :P
ReplyDeletehAHAHA Wht do u think? :P
DeleteWonderfully Written
ReplyDeleteThank u!
DeleteI think it is not about the right age or the right time. It is about the right thing right now.
ReplyDeleteSome things are 'righter' than others, and some might not be right right now, but might get right at some point in time.
Exactly my point!!!!!Thank you so much for reading!
DeleteYou have summed up beautifully in your last line.Nevertheless there are certain things where the government has fixed the right age for you to be seen as adult,for conferring the right to vote or enter government and superannuate or even to marry.So long as you are on the right side of law,you have the freedom of deciding what is the right age for anything you wish to do or not..I agree with the emphasis in your post that it is not for others to decide what is the right age for you.A forcefully written piece.
ReplyDeleteOffcourse I meant about being on the right side of the law and deciding the right age. Age restrictions are reasonable and wanted. I am talking about reasonable personal decision. Thank u for reading :)
DeleteLoved it :)
ReplyDeleteNobody should be a puppet!!
Yes yes yes!!!!
DeleteSpot on! There IS no right age to be happy and to do what WE want.
ReplyDeleteExactly!! Thank u sweetheart!
DeleteOr I can just get a dog/cat. Just as good.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Whtever makes u happy!
DeleteAwesome post.. no one can define what is "Right" and when is it?
ReplyDeleteExactly!! Thank u for reading lovely!
Delete"Even before the sperm got its head inside the egg and screamed ‘Ooh Baby!’..." - What a glorious beginning of a new life. Gahaha. Reminds me of this funny rendition of the immaculate conception where god points a finger and you and says "Boom. Pregnant!" and voila, you are the new holy mother of jesus.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the whole concept of 'right age' is hogwash because, as you said, it is a matter of personal choice which, in turn, has been sucked dry this leech of a society. Sometimes, it feels like that there is a suppressed dictator in all of us whose tyranny trickles down to land on the heads of a certain unfortunate few.
Interestingly, though, there is no 'right age' to let go of all your worries and live a fulfilled and free life (excluding our ideal notions of retirement of course)...
I loved your comment.....its so true that there is no right age to let go of your worry and break free from this shackle of tension and live life to its fullest.
DeleteWhat is the right age to grow brains? It seems a lot of people skip that.
ReplyDeleteSmashing post.
Hhahaha I will let you know the answer soon :P
DeleteLOL... absolutely awesome! Feels like I've defied a lot of the right age concept myself :P
ReplyDeleteYay to us then!!!!
DeleteAmen to that sister!! It is creating a havoc here too!! That is the reason behind this post.
ReplyDeleteIt seems the society (specifically middle aged aunties) has taken an oath to interfere with and ultimately, curb individual freedom. And it is more saddening when this society matters to those who matter to us.
ReplyDeleteExactly...society matters a lot to people who matter to us. Doesnt that truly suck?!!!
DeleteThis is too good
ReplyDeleteHow I wish there actually is a right to mind ones own business
right age to mind I mean *
DeleteYes!!!! Seriously...Thank you for reading love!
DeleteMy dear, you are fantabulous. By the way, is it really ok for a girl to 'pop her first kid' after 30. I heard its bad for the mom and kid or is it just a urban legend.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I dont have the faintest fucking idea why the hell am I asking you this.
PS.PS. I will meet you one of these days bcoz you are one of my fav 3 bloggers and I want to tell you how awesome you are, face to face. :)
Chow Girl.
Heh it depends on person to person but yes its a general notion. I dont have much idea about it :(
DeleteAnd you are one generous man sirjeee!!! Thank you for making me feel good abt myself. Thank youuuuuuuuuuu!
Couldnt be more right.
ReplyDeletethanks lovE!
DeleteAnd the definition for the right age keeps changing with time. What was right yesterday, is not so right today.
ReplyDeleteSo do what you think is right.
A thoughtful article, indeed. Loved it.
Thank you for reading Purba!!! Its a very personal decision.
Deletesuch relatives suck big time.. :X
ReplyDeleteI think a 'right' marriage is one where partners are bonded by mutual love and respect irrespective of the 'right age'.
TRUE!! Let us drink to that!!!! Thanks for reading babe!
DeleteFor each person it is different. But there is something called as a good age. There is medically a good age to have babies, which need not be the right age. Noone should tell you what to do, but one should know when the time comes. I guess we are all aware of ourselves and the milestones we have to achieve. Until then nobody should come up with rules. However when you find a certain someone, and set a footprint on your career, you know what's next, and what's after that ! ;-)
ReplyDeleteWe should know the good age and we should know the legal age and we should also have the freedom to choose our way out.. But got to be a prudent pproach.
Deleteand like you said, when you find that certain someone, evertyhing suddenly becomes the right age..hehehe!
There is no perfect 'Right' for anything. It's just an illusion that the paranoid part of the society created to convince themselves that they are right. They themselves do not have any idea about what they are talking. Right is a choice. And everyone have their rights to have their own right until they abide the laws of nature and government. :-)
ReplyDeleteYes if the laws of nature and of the govt is met with, to hell with the society :D
DeleteThanks boss!!!
the end should come already
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading!
DeleteHaha - enjoyed that. Very much.
ReplyDeleteThank u so much for reading!
DeleteHaha RIGHT AGE. OH LORD. This messes everything up. particularly there are always nagging aunties telling the girls right age to marry and all that stuff. It seriously is ABSURD. I understand people can't mind their own business but I think that the victims of this right age should be strong enough to shun the ugly stuff said by random people around. And bdw, Its always better to do things early and better before the right age of the society. Like starting kindergarten before the so-called right age so that you have time for all the stuff. Just an opinion, not a very rigid one though. :)
ReplyDeleteTake careeeeeee. I love reading your blog. :D
So true, most of the time the victims do not have the guts. It really is our fault. We cannot even stand up for ourself. And babe u chose a path that keeps u happy, and a kindergarten is such a noble path.. Shaping the lives of toddlers!
DeleteI love ur blog too...oh those cakes!!!!
Funny that....True that.....Can't agree more.
ReplyDeleteLoved each & every word of it.
Happened with me a couple of times as well .
The Neighbour to my mom "Isn't your son 24. You should start searching for a girl in a couple oy years." & I was like "Aunty , mind your freaking bussiness , I never said that you were old enough to not poke your nose in other's house matters. I never right.
So whatever you are saying...Chuck it & go away"....I think my mom got the sense of it . She just looked at me & smiled. It was more like a wink.;)
I am so happy that you have ur mothers support. Very rare. Mostly parents too get flustered before the demands of the society. Thanku for reading!!!
DeleteA friend of mine told me have a baby before I turn 30. The right age was the exact word I used. Fuck Off was the exact word I used.
ReplyDeleteMy life, my body, my age, my right. The puppets can go licking the you know what.
A typical Red post this was. Awesomest to the core.
Now u have some guts. An inspiration indeed!!!
DeleteOh I could not relate more. Having a little boy who turns 2 in Jan, I keep hearing "Oh he hasnt spoken yet? maybe Speech therapist? Maybe try homeopathy?" or "Or still breastfeeding? Didnt you know kids who breastfeed too long develop chances of becoming addicts as adults smoking, drinking etc." And I just wanna pull their tongues over their heads and make them swallow it. There's no right age, there is just a right time and a right feeling about it. Loved this post. Thanks for dropping by. :)
ReplyDeleteNot all babies r supposed to be same...they are such precious gifts of God and forcing a sound or a walk at a particular age is wrong...You shouldnt bother about such people.. I know you are strong with the way your expressed in ur comment.
DeleteLOVE this post. I am becoming a huge fan of your blog. I think it's about the "right time" as opposed to the right age :)
ReplyDeleteNow thankuuuu!! and yes right time indeed!!
DeleteThe right age to mind the own business is often the most difficult thing to be made understood:)
ReplyDeleteTrue !!! Thank you for dropping by. :)
Deletewe are all victim of generalisation. Just because a major part f society followed a certain route, we too are expected to carry on the legacy.
ReplyDeleteAh! As someone still waiting for what is the right age for me to marry, I applaud this sentiment :) Been doing this all my life - telling people that it is OK for them to take a hike at their age and stop bothering me :)
ReplyDeleteA very good one! Right age is for the self to decide. Totally agree with every point in this post. You rock!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. There is nothing called right age. It all depends upon the individual. :)
ReplyDeleteSuperb! Well written!
ReplyDeleteSuperb! Well written!
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing! Very well written! :D Loved the humour n the satire!
ReplyDeleteThis is so true and something that we all Indians can relate to. The Society n their "right age" to mind their own bloody business.
Right age is a myth which has been put into our lives by the so many people surrounding us. We are the ones who should decide what and when we want to do something.
ReplyDeleteA well written post !!
Girl, you kick ass you know :D
ReplyDeleteI love love and love your posts ! And this one, is a delectable read.
I am 25, and I recently decided to change my career path. So now not only am I faced with "You have passed the right age to marry" , but, I also get "This is not the right time to study" . Somebody bomb the society instead.
I say, right age is whenever people start talking about the so called right age.
Girl, you kick ass ! I absolutely love love and love almost all your posts and this one a delectable read.
ReplyDeleteAlready tired of the 'right age to marry' quips, I am newly facing 'not the right age to change career'. Why do these leeches try to make it sound like 25 is 52 !
By the way, reading this post made my day when I was brooding at the prospect of facing a weekend with family gatherings. :)