EUMIND
Bhaktivedanta Swami Mission School
Topic - Family Life
This is us. (Dimple, Shivalika, Sunita, Sanket and Gaurang)
Introductions-
Sunita Mistry, The Student Editor
Hi! I am Sunita Mistry studying in Class 8th. I am 14 years old. I have great interests in drawing, dancing and singing and I also love to play to keep my physical fitness intact. I want to go in business in the future because I love to deal with the subject of money, trade and Math. I love to travel and explore new places and meet new people. Eumind is a perfect platform to get to know more about different cultures and traditions of Europe and India. So I am very grateful for being a part of this project.
Shivalika Rupani
Hey there! My name is Shivalika Rupani and I'm in Class 8th. I am 13 years old. I love to sing. I also have a great interest in art and in making paintings. Dancing and writing poetry are also some of my passions. I like badminton and take training for it. I have a big dream of visiting the whole of India because our country has the best of the culture and heritage in comparison to any other part of the world. I want to take up a career in textile or graphic designing. I even wish to record songs for movies and also write a book targeting teenagers and their difficulties.
Dimple Malhotra
Hello! I am Dimple Malhotra studying in Class 8th. I am 13 years old. I love music and have been taking training since many years. I am a total bookworm and I love chocolates a lot. Chess is one my hobbies. I have represented my school at many inter-school competitions in Chess. I even play sports like basketball, swimming and badminton. I want to become a teacher in the future, for those children who are unprivileged and lack good means of education. I would like to do some kind of civil service for the government as a second career option.
Sanket Bagal
Hi, My name is Sanket Bagal. I am in Class 8th. I am 14 years old. I love sports a lot. I play Table Tennis, cricket and badminton but my favorite game is football. I am currently a part of Bhaktivedanta Football team and have won several matches against the other schools. Due to my love and passion for football, I wish to play the game internationally representing Team India as I want India to excel in football.
Gaurang Alone
Hi! I am Gaurang Alone. I am 13 years old and studying in Class 8th. I love to read fiction and mythological books. I like to paint and I am good at badminton and I have played at inter-school and inter-state level representing my school. I want to take artistic passion and scientific approach ahead in life that is why I want to become an architect in the future. I would also like to take photography as a second career option as I love to click photos of landscapes and nature. I also dream of travelling the world and exploring the major landmarks of the world.
Analysis-
List of people interviewed and by whom-
Sunita Mistry Interviewed-
Parent – Prakash Mistry, 37 years old.
Grandparent – Minal Shah, 52 years old.
Dimple Malhotra Interviewed-
Parent – Alka Malhotra, 47 years old.
Grandparent – Suresh Arora, 72 years old.
Shivalika Rupani Interviewed-
Parent – Reyna Rupani, 41 years old.
Parent –Kunal Rupani, 46 years old.
Grandparent – Shreya Khanolkar, 63 years old.
Gaurang Alone interviewed-
Parent – Mala Alone, 40 years old.
Grandparent – Indira Sharma, 68 years old.
Sanket Bagal Interviewed-
Parent – Sanjay Bagal, 43 years old.
Grandparent – Rajesh Mehta, 61 years old.
Parent – Prakash Mistry, 37 years old.
Grandparent – Minal Shah, 52 years old.
Dimple Malhotra Interviewed-
Parent – Alka Malhotra, 47 years old.
Grandparent – Suresh Arora, 72 years old.
Shivalika Rupani Interviewed-
Parent – Reyna Rupani, 41 years old.
Parent –Kunal Rupani, 46 years old.
Grandparent – Shreya Khanolkar, 63 years old.
Gaurang Alone interviewed-
Parent – Mala Alone, 40 years old.
Grandparent – Indira Sharma, 68 years old.
Sanket Bagal Interviewed-
Parent – Sanjay Bagal, 43 years old.
Grandparent – Rajesh Mehta, 61 years old.
Action Plan
Comparison of Grandparents’ answers
The similarities between the grandparents’ answer were that the male of the house earned money to run the house and females of the house worked as housewife. Some families preferred to live in nuclear family while others preferred joint families. They usually did not interact much with their children. The basic conversation between the parent and the child was about the studies, or work-related topics. There was hierarchy in some of the families, but upto a certain limit only. They loved to spend time with their siblings and enjoyed a lot when they used to gather for weddings, occasions or any particular function.
Comparison of Parents’ answers
On comparing the interviews we can say that few females of the house had started working along with the males of the house while others still worked as housewives. Most of the parents were inspired by some or the other historical event that took place during their times. The phase of nuclear family was given more importance as it gave them their own personal space, but equally they loved it when their whole family would come together. The siblings shared a great bond and nothing was a secret between them.
Comparison of the grandparents’ and parents’ answers
After interviewing the grandparents we can conclude that most of the families were joint families during their ages. There was a particular hierarchy which was followed between the near and dear ones. For example, the males were given more privileges over the females, so, there wasn’t an equality of thought, freedom and speech. The words of the parents would act like commands for the children; they couldn’t deny it, out their respect and fear both for their parents. The table matter discussions were very rare, which was a drawback between the links of the family members. The father was the bread earner and the mother was a house-wife. The siblings usually loved spending time with each other and shared a great bond. But things kept on changing during the parents’ generation, the little bit of the hierarchy practiced was over; leading to an equality amongst all. The women of the house started working along with the men of house. The people of these times usually preferred to have nuclear families. The matters of the house had started being discussed with the young brains of the family. There was a stronger and closer bond between the siblings and even the parents shared a unique bond. The similarities which the grandparents’ and parents’ generation shared were of the teachings or the values which were taught to them by their parents.
Present situation of teenagers now in 2016
Our group members observe that teenagers like us, nowadays have a very distinct lifestyle in comparison to the previous generations. In the past, families were mostly joint giving lack to one to one attention to each particular member to the family. Therefore, according to calculation we had come to know that in present time, nuclear families are more prevalent and due to the less number of members in the family, teenagers these days are given a lot more of advice making their daily functioning easy. Also, girls these days are much more independent and confident considering the physicals assaults many of them go through. There is a definite change in the attitude of girls as there is no discrimination between boys and girls and some girls nowadays are also getting much more confident than guys. Teenagers these days are also smarter and quick-witted then the teenagers before because of the rapid advancement of technology. We also have a lot of facilities available for us to soar and achieve our goals which was not in store at all in the previous times. However, just like there are thorns to every rose, our lives these days also have various drawbacks to it. Teens are largely affected by the different gadgets launching. It is making them lazy and distracted from their studies. Also, young adults have started taking advantage of their intelligence and have begun to misuse it by acting stubborn in front of their parents and elders. Therefore we conclude that the situation of teenagers presently and then have changed to a great extent but it has positives as well as negatives.
Comparison of Lyceum Oude Hoven Family life Results with our Results
The outcomes of our results and Lyceums are not much similar. We believe that the role of family life has changed which is strongly not believed by them. The family matters; here in India; which were discussed through the past generations are different as earlier the interaction of the parents to kids was not much but they believe that the family matters were the same through the past generations. The profession of the grandparents’ father was mostly in business here but in theirs it was into farming, the females worked as housewives in both the results. The similarities in the results is that the families of both Europe and India loved to gather together on occasions such as weddings or any other function which brought them closer.
Comparison of Ahlcon Family Life Research with Our Family Life Results
The outcomes of our family life interviews and Ahlcon’s are very similar. We both believe that the conduct of living has changed with its rules and regulations, but one thing that has remained solid is the moral values taught by parents to kids all over the world. It is very surprising to see the drastic change that has occurred in the past generations. From schooling, to hierarchal issues, to the kind of relationship between parents and children, both of us schools have come to the same conclusion that the role of a family has developed and is progressing at great speed.
Conclusion on the Main Question –
Has the role of family life changed?
Yes, the role of family life has definitely changed. The hierarchy continued from grandparents age has stopped by now, the discussions between the parents and children became more prominent; their relationship has become much stronger. The joint family phase has come to end and the nuclear family phase is more prevalent as it gives them more personal space. The females now equally contribute with males for earning money for the house. The way of lifestyle of families has changed with the new technologies.