That was my first tryst with this utterance. Being just 25 I was finding it difficult to accept the gesture that the teenager showed towards me. But knowing children to be purest form of souls, I had already lost the choice of doubting my aging factor. That moment I ignored the thought of getting to my friend's place. It was a Black Friday...it was my doom's day.
2010...A Tuesday morning. Pulling a valise.. heading towards home, I was busy in my attempt to alight a set of steps. While, I was managing to tow my luggage from one end to the other, two girls...in their mid 20s..with a smile asked, "AUNTY..hum help kardein?" To which I retorted with a hint of sarcasm, "Nahi beta, I will manage."
Unlike the previous occasion, I found this one to be funny. Where the teenager must have been atleast 10 years younger to me, this time the difference would have been hardly 2-3 years. What amuses me the most is the ease with which ladies manage to hide their age just by addressing someone else as from their previous generation!! ... What shall one call this!! (a disguised attempt to nurture their eternal obsession for their age vs look related issues.)
I have seen this happening to my mother as well. Ladies, whom I address as aunty- because of the age difference, also address my mother as aunty.
So, what is it with this word "aunty"!! Why do eyebrows rise on a mention of the same!! If the answer has to come from me, then for me...it was a realisation, a reminder from a messenger of God's own..of me getting old,of my hair growing grey,the urgency to tie the marital knot at the earliest.
Now, that I have surrendered all my wits and muses in front of 'the aging factor', I actually wonder at the way feminine clan react to the salutation of AUNTY...!! And I would definitely like to learn about how do our counterparts react when called UNCLE!! Well, I don't have the answer...DO YOU!!
Hello Aunty Ji!! :) (just kidding)
ReplyDeleteEssentially in middle aged women (25-35) there is a very generic reaction to aunty - definitely getting offended. But for men, reaction to "uncle" I think varies broadly from person to person. Some might take it as a gesture of respect, some might ignore it or some might get offended. Also it very much depends upon who is saying that. Hearing this from a guy would be much easier than hearing from a beautiful lady ;).. Reactions will be way different in each case.
Well, its a nice way of expressing you experience along with provoking thoughts to others.. Keep it up..
Before commenting on the subject of the blog let me first congratulate you for writing a shorter piece this time. It is really more inviting to read.
ReplyDelete“Aunty” and its connotations have long being a dreaded in the “I am still young” brigade. But the truth of the matter may be learnt best when the effects of two words are compared “aunty” and “uncle”. Uncle would instantly mean a paunch, a “I mean serious business” outlook and most likely a beard style that makes one feel like the sitting on the far end of the dinner table. But “aunty” means “OH MY GOD”. And the best part is it means so on both sides the “accuser” and the “accused”. The sender of the wrath actually means to say “oh my god, that aunty looks distraught”, and the receiver hears it as “oh my god my skin is not glowing any longer”.
Oh c’mon, sindoor in your forehead, tons of all coloured bangles and a swagger to keep the spine from having its way….what’s wrong in being called an aunty.
There's no running away from being called 'aunty' or 'uncle' at some stage of one's life. For someone like you in your 20s it may be a bit early and, therefore, sort of 'shocking', but what the hell - we're all growing old by the day. Today, it's 'aunty' (or 'uncle'), tommorrow (i.e. few facial wrinkles and a swathe of grey hair later) it's gonna be 'dadiji' (or 'dadaji'). So be prepared for the next 'promotion' without getting shocked! That's the GenNext's way of reminding us of Nature's supremacy!
ReplyDeleteI will begin by correcting a misconception. Middleage is not 25-35, that is called youth. Refer to the telecom add filling the TV and print ad spots for reference. 25 is the prime of youth. anything below 25 is, simply put, not there yet. At 25, you have arrived. People can't not take notice of you.
ReplyDeleteYou are visible and audible and discernible. The puerile banterings of the younger lots should just be taken as just that- puerile bantering.
Babies, and not pre teens are the purest souls. A casual uttenrance of a pre teen should not be given that much thought, that is unbeccoming of a 25 year old. Plz enjoy your youth to the hilt. Yoy are the prime of it..