The Truth About Those ‘Cranky Aunties’

 Remember those aunties we used to see — always angry, always irritated?

We’d roll our eyes and whisper, “Why is she always rude? Why doesn’t she let anyone in her house? Why does she lose her mind when a ball rolls into her veranda, or someone plucks a flower, or makes a little mess?”

Today, I know the answer.

Those irritated aunties we see around… are actually uncelebrated women.
Ignored girls who grew up to be misunderstood ladies.

No one ever really asked for their opinion — unless it was about what they were planning to cook.
No one ever tried to know her hobbies, her hidden talents, her will, or her favorite place to visit.
Everybody just assumed she’d want to go to the temple.
Her favorite dress? We don’t know — because we’ve only ever seen her in cotton sarees or salwar kameez.

Why does the most important person in the house become invisible like that?
Not even her partner tries to see her beyond the role she plays.
She was brought into the house only as a caretaker… and that’s all anyone chose to see.

Her life became a cycle of cleaning, doing laundry, feeding kids, running errands… as if this was what she was born for.

But maybe — just maybe — she was once a fabulous dancer.
Or an amazing singer. Or an artist.
Maybe she used to laugh so much her stomach hurt.
Maybe she was shy but had wild, rebellious thoughts.
Maybe she was daring, maybe she rode a bike through empty streets, maybe she was the most adventurous girl in her group.

Maybe she could’ve been a brilliant finance advisor, or maybe she knew the best ghar ke nuskhe for every problem in the world.

One thing is for sure — she was once a girl with dreams.
A girl who wanted to laugh, talk, explore, and just… live.

But somewhere along the way, she chose not to create discomfort for others — so she made herself uncomfortable instead.
She got so used to it, she forgot the little happy girl inside her.
Or maybe she accepted this life so deeply, she stopped believing there was anything else possible.

But somewhere along the way, she chose not to create discomfort for others — so she made herself uncomfortable instead.
She got so used to it, she forgot the little happy girl inside her.
Or maybe she accepted this life so deeply, she stopped believing there was anything else possible.

She must have been ignored so many times that now, even the family she invested her whole life in… doesn’t want to invest their time in her.

And you know what?
I think we’re all slowly becoming that aunty.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again — When Will We Choose Each Other. Maybe it’s time we stop acting like enemies and start acting like women who actually get each other.