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India and joint families

Most Indians of my generation have grown up in a joint family setup. The family was always there for support, for strength and for sharing burden.

Mass migration to larger towns and cities broke up joint families giving rise to the nuclear families. The new Indian middle class was very happy to be free from the responsibilities of a joint family.

The joy was short lived. Soon the people realised that we may be westernised but our systems are not. Putting your kid in a crèche while going to work was not very good for the child. Or cooking a meal after coming back from work wasn't very pleasant. The bigger issue was the lack of support system in the nuclear families. The comfort of having your own around in times of need. We may quarrel often but still family is family.

Indians always find a way to make up for their shortcomings through jugaad. And that's exactly what we have done.

The joint family version 2 is a modified version of the joint family of yore but with a slight change. Now friends and neighbours are family. One large big united family united by the need to find a support system.

The high rise buildings and modern societies have also contributed to the rise of this culture of modern joint family.

Your neighbours are your friends in need. Doubling up as your relatives when manpower is needed during hospitalisation and other regular mundane emergencies

The best part of this system is : we Indians love to be together through thick and thin. And that's how our children will learn sharing and caring. A new type of family values will develop where our children learn to see our friends as family and the children of our friends their siblings from another mother.

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