Forget cricket. Forget politics. The real national obsession of desi society is gossip. “Log kya kaheinge” isn’t just a phrase, it’s practically our constitution. From rishtas to report cards, from weddings to wardrobes, everyone and their phuppo has an opinion, and they’re dying to share it.

Let’s call it what it is: an obsession with controlling other people’s lives. Who married whom. Why she wore orange instead of red. Why his son is still single. Why their daughter went abroad. Why someone didn’t invite 400 extra people to a shaadi. Every conversation revolves around other people’s choices. And somehow, it’s always dressed up as “concern.” 

Here’s the ugly truth: society will talk no matter what you do. If you succeed, they’ll envy you. If you fail, they’ll shame you. If you conform, they’ll still find flaws. You cannot win. And you shouldn’t even try. Because living for “log kya kaheinge” is living a life of slavery to opinions that hold zero real value.

No matter what you do, no matter how “perfectly” you try to play by the rules, someone always has something to say. You can bend yourself backwards trying to please society, but people will still find a flaw. Why? Because people who have nothing better happening in their own lives will always look for ways to control, criticize, and dissect the lives of others. Gossip gives them purpose. Your choices give them content.

When I became a mother, one of the promises I made to myself was this: my child will never grow up trapped in this cycle. He will not be raised to fear society’s gossip. He will be raised to think, to question, to live authentically.

Stop living for “log kya kaheinge.” Stop shaping your children, your choices, your marriages, your careers around society’s gossip mill. Teach your children to be original, not replicas. Teach them courage over compliance.

Because the truth is, log will always have something to say. But at the end of the day, their words won’t raise your kids, pay your bills, or live your life. That’s on you. So let them talk. Close the door, sip your chai, and move on.