The moment anyone reads the phrase "domestic violence," an automated image is generated in the subconscious mind—an image of a man unabashedly using his masculine prowess on his better half, the delicate one in the couple. But though that is the reality for a large chunk of the population, it is only a restricted view. The broader aspect involves unscrupulous violence against the older generation. Every other day, on social networking sites and in newspapers circulated across the nation, I would come across many such horrendous incidents. But somehow, the impact never lingered—until an akin incident occurred with one of my close acquaintances. A routine talk with my almost 74-years-old mother took an unexpected turn the day before yesterday. I had dialed her number three to four times, but it was engaged. When she was finally available, she called me back. She said, “I was on call with your late father’s best friend’s widow.” My father and uncle were childhood friends who had...