When my father passed away, it defenitely opened our eyes to some nosy people who just wanted the scoop of how he died in Delhi and etc. One of the neighbors called up and enquired if my father had any stuff left in his apartment and are we getting them to our native place. Not to mention a very close relative who took the regular updates of the happenings at Delhi and was busy giving detailed information to those any tom, dick and harry who came to enquire at the native place about the death.
Some people went a step ahead and asked if he got any benefits, how much money is left in the bank account, etc. However, some concerned souls reminded us of the job that his children might get as he expired before retirement - which was okay to some extent but became annoying when they constantly insisted to apply for it when neither me or my brother was interested for a job for which the interview call may come after 20 years.
I remember telling someone that I will not be able to attend a function at his place because of financial crunch and he laughing suggestively as if we got a fortune after our father's death. Can the level of meanness out do this?
The worst was when one of my father's siblings arrived after the day of funeral and was ranting (read scolding) at my grieving mother for not keeping his deadbody (at least his head - yes she said this!) for her to see or take to native place rather than burying him in Delhi. Talk about the height of insensitiveness - I am really sorry but I doubt if she is sane.
A death in the family shows us an altogether different classification of people - people who empathise, people who want the scoop and have a smug, people who want us to move on, people who want us to call them amidst all these happenings and keep giving regular updates as on Cricinfo, people who help, people who lend a shoulder to cry, people who do not know how to give their condolences, people who are still anoyed with the dead person (and hence with his surviving family) for some silly misunderstanding that happened when the person was alive, people who want to know if the dead body decayed and people who do not say anything and be with us in silence.
The best thing is to keep quite if you dont know how to handle such a situation as we all will die in some manner some day and the last thing you would want is others annoying and torchering your loved ones with such inquisitive questions. What goes around comes around defenitely.
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2 comments:
Ha...Cricinfo...Seriously, though, no offense, but, if you would just have a service these people could access, ideally, I would say, on the internet, where they could get the latest, most up-to-date information, then they wouldn't have to bother you...Think about it, is all I'm asking...
As long as there is no internet at their homes, they would prefer bugging directly.
Else they would be googling or facebook stalking all time i guess.
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