'I was revolting against the elders and thinking that they were wrong and I was right and they were spying on me'

'I was revolting against the elders and thinking that they were wrong and I was right and they were spying on me'

Dolly Misra remembers her early teens and revolting against her parents.

Dolly Misra

Trinity College Dublin

1953

This item is protected by original copyright

This content may be downloaded and used (with attribution) for research, teaching or private study. It may not be used for commercial purposes without permission.

Dolly Misra

Adolescence and Early Adulthood

Life Story

India

1950s

Before I became a teenager I was always pining to grow up quickly and to do the grown up things. I wanted to dress up lime my older sister with saries and long dresses with high heel shoes and jewelleries and wanted to accompany her wherever she was going. I felt very independent and to do my own things and to be with my friends than to be with the family. I became a different person and my likings changed completely.I was revolting the elders and thinking that they were wrong and I was right and they were spying on me. Once I remember telling lies to my mother being coming home quite late from school, that I was in my friend's house, but when I became little bit older, I realised that she was only concerned about me. Things were very different then in India and specially the teenage girls didn't have much freedom to go out in the evenings to discos and dances. Our evening entertainments were going to the cinemas, theatres, friends' houses or to the social events with the family. I remember vividly when I could persuade my parents to allow me to go to the college excursions under the supervision of the teachers. I was just over the moon that I could see lots of beautiful places in India with my friends in various trips.When I look back now, I feel that my upbringing was good and the freedom should be restricted to certain extent specially at the adolescence period. Now - a - days, the children are up to so much wrong doings and they get far too much freedom in this society.

Irish Research Council for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)