Wo saath wale Chadha ji.
Bhopal wali masi.
Chandigarh wale mama ji
Please don’t misunderstand this as my attempt to draw a family tree. Nothing on those lines. These, ladies and gentlemen, are the nascent career counsellors of my family. Meet the know-it-alls found in every family, ever ready with a storehouse of overflowing advice. They aren’t backed by any suitable degree but they certainly have enough worldly wisdom to dictate the course of my life.
While you are faced with divergent paths in your career, they voluntarily take the onus of boggling your mind further. It all started when my 12th kick started. Over anxious and over concerned relatives would ring me from time to time to remind me how crucial that year was. No harm there. But when these conversations turned into lectures about how horrible my life would be if I didn’t end up scoring well, I almost blocked their contact numbers. It escalated to an all new level once my Boards got over, with everyone personally coming over to ‘help’ me out.
Albeit you can’t avoid them altogether, here is a list of things to do when faced with such a predicament, drawn by an agonized victim.
1. Nodding: Exactly. Also, prefix and suffix each and every sentence with Hanji (Hindi for yes). From personal experience I can tell this is your safest bet. A smile to go with this would do wonders. But I should warn you not to overdo it like Sheldon Cooper.
2. Don’t argue: Never get into an argument. Your only job is to agree. And while you’re at it, why not give them the pleasure of thinking that their words of wisdom are actually influencing you!
3. Distract yourself: When the going gets tough, the tough get going. So, let your mind drift to a world where you can gorge on hot chocolate fudges and double cheese burst without gaining weight. The amusement on your face will give immense delight to the people in question.
4. Don the hat yourself: Once you reach your saturation point, start career counselling the kids of your kin. You could throw in a few suggestions like enrolling their children in engineering coaching from the primary level. That ought to earn some glares.
5. Blow up: Try this only in extreme conditions like when someone says “Ab kya hoga iska?”, “Ab koi hope nhi hai”, etc. Glaring into their eyes, grab their face and whisper, “Mera pata nhi, aapka zarur kuch ho jayega”. I can assure they wouldn’t dare say anything to you again.
