The transitional generation

My Dad often says "Never forget where you came from" because if you don't remember that, how do you figure out where you're going. Profound words of wisdom !

In moments of quiet reflection, I often retrace my steps back to the city of Hyderabad where I was born and raised and remind myself that I represent the hopes and dreams of an entire generation of middle class India. The transitional generation - the generation on whose shoulders we climbed to reach these glorious heights of progress, wealth and success.

A generation that belongs to our parents who invested their entire youth, resources and energy in educating and empowering us so we could ascend a world that was beyond their reach. While their world was confined to the cities or the states they inhabited, they always knew there was a big, bright world out there, waiting with open arms for their smart, savvy and spirited kids. 

So they spent a lifetime getting us ready and fueling our journeys.  Whether it was waking us up early and making us tea (or) taking us to coaching classes in their two wheelers on cold winter mornings (or) having us study into the wee hours of the night (or) encouraging us to pursue either Engineering or Medicine, they pushed us to get out of our comfort zone every day.

Today, the brilliance we see from Indians across the globe from Sundar Pichai to Satya Nadella and from Priyanka Chopra to P V Sindhu, is a result of the blood, sweat and tears of this transitional generation.

And while one could argue that this is true for every generation of parents, what is truly unique about this generation is that their children actually went on to disrupt the world, widen their horizons and shatter every notion of "how it has always been done". It wasn't a step change or gradual progress like the previous generations or candidly even the next generation after ours, it was truly writing a new chapter, turning a new leaf and breaking every perceivable boundary to achieve what was never done before.

So no matter who we become or what we accomplish as a generation, we will be forever indebted to this transitional generation. Every story that will ever be written about India's "coming of age", will be deeply intertwined with the story of this transitional generation. 

Therefore to my parents and to every parent that belongs to this generation, I only have one thing to say:

"Did you ever know that you're my HERO?

You're everything I wish I could be.

I could soar higher than an eagle,

Only 'coz you're the wind beneath my wings !!"

-So long!