Wal-Mart daddies
You would’ve met them, especially if you had any opportunity in the past 20 yrs to attend a wedding in Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi. ‘Wal-Mart daddy’ is the term I use for parents who have their grown-up kids settling overseas leaving behind their parents in India. No offence intended, I very well understand that in majority of the cases the parents choose not to settle abroad with their children ‘sighting’ reasons as ‘We will not be comfortable there’, ‘Nothing like OUR country’, ‘We will miss our relatives and participating in the good and bad events of the extended family’, etc.
Why the term ‘Wal-Mart daddies’?
First of the two main things that make me pity such parents is when they show up at functions/gatherings generally observed when they attend weddings wearing a T-shirt or a sneaker that would be a perfect misfit both to the occasion and their trousers, accessories, hairdo and jewels. Though a misfit, you could pitifully observe the pride they bear in their looks which announces ‘My son/daughter/brother/sister/nephew/niece got this for me from Dubai/London/Sydney/New York/Chicago/California/Boston…’, still why Wal-Mart? I guess by now you would’ve figured it out…generally such t-shirts would’ve been bought at apparel outlets during their best SALE season at a steal deal OR as a last last minute rush buy from the nearest departmental store at a throw away price…and who could beat the logistics experts Wal-Mart chain at it? Their tagline till 2007 used to be ‘Always low prices’ that got changed to ‘Save Money. Live better’.
Secondly, though being happy for their children to have settled well [an ambition that they would’ve spent all their working life to achieve] and doing very well overseas [a dream come true for the children] you could still notice how much the parents miss them while living away. The way they use the opportunity of such gatherings to get things done by the youngsters of the extended family/friends errands that could have been done through their own kids anytime IF they were around is a tell tale sign of their loneliness which none of them would come out to admit about but I am sure will have it lingering in their mind when they toss around in their 12th floor air-conditioned bed room alone and physically deteriorating as the inevitable aging catches-up.