Small milestones, like a new car or a good exam score, are celebrated with sweets ( Mithai ) and neighborhood visits.
There is a sticky, complex guilt woven into the fabric. Parents sacrifice, and the children feel the weight of that sacrifice. Graduation day is not about the degree; it is about making dad cry. The first salary is not for rent; it is for buying mom a silk saree.
This is the beautiful churn of India: ancient protocol meeting millennial impatience.
