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By WANI MUTHIAH
TO have more than one generation staying together under one roof is surely very uncommon in our age of nuclear families, especially in the urban areas.
So, motor workshop owner S. Alagarasamy and his wife K. Rani are certainly a blessed couple as all their four children, including the married ones and their children, are staying with them.
“Many ageing couples suffer from the empty nest syndrome but fortunately, my husband and I have been spared of this,” Rani said.
Their only son Rajeswaran, 34, and eldest daughter Sri Punitha, 28, are married and have three children each.
“Because everyone is still with us, Deepavali is always extra special as my husband and I enjoy the hustle and bustle of the preparations,” Rani told StarMetro at the family’s modest single-storey home at Taman Gembira in Klang.
Alagarasamy concurred and said that celebrating the festival with all six of their grandchildren, aged between 11 and 4, was truly a blessing.
Besides Rajeswaran and Sri Punitha, the elderly couple’s other children are Amutha, 26, and Hemalatha, 18.
Rani’s younger sister K. Vasantha, 46, who is single, also lives with the family.
Daughter-in-law M. Kalaiselvi, 26, and son-in-law K.Mahendran, 36, also make-up the 14-member extended family.
According to Rani, on the morning of Deepavali, all the family members will wake up at 5am for the ritual oil bath and then head for the nearest temple for prayers.
“We will then come home to have breakfast together and enjoy the pleasure that comes with having our children and grandchildren close to us,” she said.
Since, both her married daughter and daughter-in-law were housewives, cakes and cookies for the festival were also prepared in abundance.
“My sister Vasantha, who also stays at home, makes sure that we have an ample spread to treat friends and relatives who come to visit on Deepavali day,” Rani said.
