Family Structure and Roles (SST CH9 PART-1)

**Family** Almost all of us live in a family. The family is the fundamental and most ancient unit of any society. In Indian society today, there are several types of families --- from joint families to nuclear families. A joint family has several generations living together --- grandparents, pa...

**Family** Almost all of us live in a family. The family is the fundamental and most ancient unit of any society. In Indian society today, there are several types of families --- from joint families to nuclear families. A joint family has several generations living together --- grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts, *Love and dharma are the flower and fruit of family life.* *--- Tiruvalluvar* CHAPTER**138** brothers, sisters and cousins. A nuclear family, on the other hand, is limited to a couple and their children, and sometimes one parent and children. **LET'S EXPLORE** In English, there are not many terms to describe family relationships; we saw some of them in the 昀椀rst paragraph. Indian languages have many more terms. For example, in Hindi there is *bua, tau, tai, chacha, mausi, nana, nani,* and many more. Some languages, such as Tamil, also have di昀昀erent terms for elder brother / sister or younger brother / sister. But what is the word for 'cousin' in an Indian language? In most Indian languages, you will 昀椀nd that there is no such word! That is because cousins are only 'brothers' and 'sisters'. This emphasises the deep bonds among all the children in the family. **LET'S EXPLORE** **rm in** **Hindi** **Description / term in English** **Roles and Responsibilities** Relationships among family members are based on love, care, cooperation and interdependence. 'Cooperation' means 'working together'. Each member of the family has a role and responsibility towards other members. For instance, parents are responsible for raising their children to become happy individuals and responsible members of the society. But also, as children grow up, they take on more responsibilities in the home to help other family members --- whether parents or a sister or a brother, etc. Through daily practice, children learn to participate in the life of the household. In many homes, children also learn some of the traditions and practices their family has been following for generations. **LET'S EXPLORE** Following our dharma, or doing our duty, has been an important principle of Indian culture. The family is also a 'school', where children learn important values such as ahimsa, *dāna* (giving)*, sevā* (service) and *tyāga* (sacri昀椀ce)*.* Individuals in the family often give up their own needs to take care of the family's needs. Let us see one such story. Shalini lives with her family in a town in Kerala. Her father runs a small business and her mother is a teacher in a nearby school. Shalini has a younger brother. Her grandmother, Acchamma (father's mother), Chittappa (father's brother or paternal uncle) and her Chitti (aunt or uncle's wife) live with them. They have a daughter, Shalini's cousin, who she calls Chinni. Shalini's uncle has just lost his job and her aunt is a homemaker. The whole family was preparing for the festival of Onam. Acchamma told Shalini's father that his brother was having 昀椀nancial di昀케culties, so they were not able to buy new clothes for the festival. When Shalini's parents took her and her brother shopping, they bought new clothes not only for themselves, but also for Chittappa, Chitti and Chinni. As a result, Shalini did not get the silk dress she had expected; she had to settle for a simple cotton one. Acchamma explained to Shalini that this is how families support each other and share what they have. Shalini did not mind her simpler dress. She was happy that everyone could get some new clothes. That story was set in Kerala. Let us now travel northeast, to a village in Meghalaya. My name is Tenzing. I love the mountains we live in, though life is sometimes hard. My father runs a small grocery store. After my mother became busy in a local handicraft cooperative, making our beautiful traditional fabrics, wood carvings and other items for sale to tourists, my father joined in cleaning the house, taking care of our small vegetable garden and other household chores. Often, he helps my grandmother prepare food for us all. Grandmother always has all sorts of interesting stories to tell me, with humour and wisdom; no one seems to understand people better than her! Grandfather helps me with my homework and takes me to the school bus stop. He is also actively involved in social work in our colony and is always o昀昀ering his help to others. For example, when there is a power failure in our area, he goes and registers a complaint at the nearby o昀케ce. When our neighbours' house got damaged in a storm, he collected some money from the whole neighbourhood to help with repairs. We are lucky that my parents can take care of our basic necessities like food and clothing. When any special expenses come up, I have often seen that they discuss them together. Mother says that we should always try to save some money for any unexpected needs that may arise in the future. **THINK ABOUT IT** **LET'S EXPLORE** Æ Create a story of a family somewhere in India, where we see some family values practised. Share it with your class either through writing or drawing. Æ Stage a small drama with all your classmates around two or three families. The play you write could include some challenging situations that the families faced, and show how they are resolved. Æ In the stories of Shalini and Tenzing, we see examples of joint families. What do you think are the aspects of modern living that make some couples opt for a nuclear family (i.e., living apart from older generations or other relatives)? What could be some advantages as well as disadvantages of the two kinds of families?