The BIG Picture!

What's the best thing about being born an Indian? It is being a member of a big typical Indian family. And one realizes it the most when the family gets together to have fun, as ours did recently at a cousin's farm house in a scenic little village in Konkan. As I look at the entire family (including me!) smiling back from the photos, the 4-day vacation flashes back from the memory. It's going to be something to cherish till we get together again for another next year.

It can't be said that we cousins grew up together, with the age difference between the eldest and the youngest being 20 years. But we have been together through thick and thin, in good times and bad and when we are together the camaraderie shows up. You have to take efforts to maintain the family fabric as individual members get busy and geographical and logistical barriers get created. But when the end result is more than 30 smiling faces, the efforts feel little. It also feels nice when one sees the next generation share the same bonding, and you feel assured that the family legacy will continue.

And family is not all about enjoying time together. Yes, it feels wonderful to share joy and happines, but more importantly there will always one or more members you will tend to turn to when faced with a problem or a dilemma. The necessity of such a support system is also a factor that makes a family tick, and if you have one you can consider yourself to be very fortunate.

It's amazing how just 4 days with your loved ones can rejuvenate you for the routine of the year to follow. As I write this, the moments from those 4 days still linger on in my mind, and they will for a long time. And the mind will look forward to more such moments, whenever they are to come next!