Wearing Eye glasses

 Wearing eye glasses is common these days, notably among kids. My parents never wore anything beyond CHALISIA CHASAMA (reading glasses needed only after one turns forty). I started using eye glasses immediately after getting married. Probably marriage turned me myopic. My son has been using glasses since he was 10 years old. You may call it a narrowing generation gap and he is not alone from his generation.

During my growing up days in Bhubaneswar not many used to wear glasses. A few who did were teased as CHARI AKHIA (a four eyed person), CHASMUDDIN (Mr. Bespectacled) and so on. Contact lenses were not available, so the look conscious ones, especially the girls had no option but stick to their glasses. A girl who had a teenage crush on one of my friends, was devastated upon learning that he doesn't like bespectacled girls. Their puppy love built through contacts, finally broke down due to lack of contacts.

One of the reasons for the recent rise in glass epidemic could be the gradual change in diet from vegetarian to meat based. My parent's generation were frugal eaters of meat, though they ate fish more often (fish, especially the smaller variety is known to be good for the eyes). They used to eat plenty of green and leafy veggies, all different kinds of Saag, fresh fruits like Guavas and Mangoes in summer which were packed with eye caring Vitamin A. There was no TV, the modern day gadgets like tablets and computers were strictly fantasy. Now the eye catching iWhatevers have been major eye sores. Add empty calorie punched fast food and drink to that, the result being neither eye catching, nor eye filling.

Now plenty of fancy glasses and contacts are available all over market. Last time when I went to buy a new pairs of glasses, the sales girl showed me different hues of transition lenses. She burst into laughter when I told her - "Are you showing me 50 Shades of Gray" ? 

An Odia guy told his Punjabi friend my grandfather lived until 95 and never used glasses. The Punjabi guy replied - "My grandfather never used glasses too. He drank straight from the bottle". Our Odia guy felt like he hit a glass ceiling.