Indian parents Sanjeev and Sadhana Prasad have filed a petition in court against their son for not having a baby. They demanded that he and his wife must give them a grandchild within a year otherwise pay 50 Million INR or 645,000 USD. The couple argued that they spent all of their savings to raise, educate, and lavishly wed their son, who is a pilot. Now they are financially challenged and want some compensation. Their lawyer, Arvind Kumar, said that this case “portrayed the society’s truth”. Further elaborating, he said that parents spent money on their children’s future and make them capable. So, children owe basic financial care to their parents. The court, which has filed the lawsuit under “mental harassment”, will reportedly hear the case on 17th May.
Indian Parents Want Grandchildren
Indian parents filed a petition in Haridwar court saying that their son and daughter-in-law had been married for 6 years but still not planning a baby. The young couple has reportedly moved to another city and cut off communication with the elder couple. The parents told the media that their son and his wife live in 2 separate cities, which is painful for them to bear. They added that they treated their daughter-in-law like their own daughter but still she didn’t stay with them much, further increasing their pain. Parents also said in the petition that at least spending time with a child at home will ease their pain. They further said that if their daughter-in-law did not have time due to work commitments, then they were willing to raise the child themselves.
Too Much Investment on Son
Indian parents have asked for 25 million INR each from their son and his wife. The cost includes money they paid for their son’s wedding reception at a 5-star hotel, a luxury car worth 80,000 USD, and an international honeymoon package. They also said that they took a 65,000 USD loan for their son’s training as a pilot in the US but he came back to India. The elder couple mentioned taking another loan to build their house. They also complained about being mentally disturbed and going through a lot of financial difficulties because of living alone.
Their son Shrey Sagar lost his job and returned to India in 2007. He stayed unemployed for 2 years and his parents supported him financially. When he eventually got a job as a pilot, his parents married him to Subhangi Sinha hoping that they would get a “grandkid to play with” in their final times.
Is India Changing?
India is known for having a joint family system where generations upon generations stay together in a single household or at least houses near to each other. Majority of Indian parents would want their son to live with them (even after getting married) till the end of their lifetime. Women who marry into such households are expected to take care of their husband’s family as well. She is also responsible for all child-related issues. In many houses, even grandparents, grandchildren, cousins, nephews, nieces, uncles, and aunts also live in one house.
However, things have been different in recent years. India has been transforming under western influence. Modern young couples increasingly prefer to live separately or move away from parents and siblings. They choose a nuclear family setup where both partners can earn income without having any pressure to have children.
