Adap-tension

Wikipedia describes the reason for extinction of Dinosaurs as “Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event”. Roughly translated, it means that the mighty did not survive because they could not adapt to the changing climatic conditions on the earth. The point I am trying to make here is that essentially, adaptation is the key to survival.

Research on the human species suggests humans have survived and will continue to do so because they are intelligent and adapt.

Why then does a sub group of the human species find it so difficult to adapt?  

The Great Indian Mother in Law (GMIL) is a group which has traits strikingly similar to the dinosaurs. They are powerful, menacing and love to spread their dominion over another sub group - the hapless daughter in law (DIL). Quite like the dinosaurs that were the dominant species: powerful, mean and menacing, the GMIL is extremely influential among the human race.

Dinosaur	GMIL
Mean	Mean
Dominating	Dominating
Arrogant	Arrogant
Dumb	Cunning (fox-like)
Extinct	Surviving

The above comparison lists out their common traits on the one hand and their dissimilarities on the other. While the parallels I have been drawing are pretty obvious, the differences are more subtle. While dinosaurs were known to have brains the size of peas, GMILs, being from the Homo sapiens species, are intelligent creatures in all walks of life. But when they are faced by their DIL, they exhibit a level of intelligence, far beyond the ordinary.

They seem to have higher usage of the grey matter in the brain as well, in dealings with the DIL. Social scientist will agree with me in my observation that the controlling streak in them peaks and they are at their meanest and most aggressive in this situation. Now, if you have studied the rest of the Animal Kingdom, you would expect such behavior when the creature is under attack or feels threatened by the presence of a predator.

Axiomatically, the GMIL’s behavior in the presence of DIL alludes to their controlling nature and the fact that they fear their dominion being threatened by a new entrant in their sphere of influence. This results in vociferous criticism, sarcastic remarks, veiled threats, unfair comparisons, emotional blackmail and what not.

The GMIL is a creature unique to India, a country famous for its paradoxes. Not so surprisingly, GMILs wish to see their sons married, but to a girl she thinks worthy (meaning who can be controlled by herself), educated, working professional (but who works only at GMILs command), gels with the family   (caters to every whim and fancy of GMIL), is extremely fair, beautiful, petite and docile (basically straight from the Fair and Lovely commercial and a puppy without a tail) and is supremely dumb (dumb enough to not understand GMILs shenanigans).

In a society with rapidly changing demographics: more working women who are breaking the glass ceiling in all walks of life; the mother in law is black hole preventing the working married woman from equality in domestic life. Their resistance to adapting to the changing times is immense and their sense of righteousness is beyond compare. Metaphorically, their resistance to adapt and embrace the DIL as another human equal o their sons is as powerful as the great dinosaurs.

And the dinosaurs became extinct for they could not adapt themselves to changing temperature on the earth. Wake up call GMILs? Or soon you may be extinct too…