Child gets 85% – second rank. Grandfather: "In my time, 60% was genius." Father: "Why not first?" Mother: "You did well, but next time…" Aunt calls to compare with her son’s 92%. This mix of pride and pressure is the Indian parenting paradox.
"Living in an Indian family means your diet is never your own," says 19-year-old Arjun. "If I try to eat a salad, my grandmother looks at me like I am dying of tuberculosis. She will force a paratha into my hand. 'Eat, beta, you are looking thin,' she says, even though I am the same weight as last week." Child gets 85% – second rank