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I saw myself in the mirror
It reflected me...
I stood in front of a camera
It caught me...
I looked inside my heart
It emptied "Me"...
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Monday 19 October 2015
Reflections
Sunday 18 October 2015
Travalogue – III - Between they and us
Its Share Auto time again.
I was on my way to visit one of my relatives
who was ill. With the sweet memories of our childhood together I was reluctant
to the conversations happening in the auto.
The auto jolted to a quick halt
as the sudden gush of wind blew the Dhupatta of the girl seated next to the
window. Thanks to the evening breeze, that helps Chennaites survive despite the
hot climate. Several stories sprung up with that one incident among the on
lookers. The girl felt relieved as she got down at the next stop.
The driver had still more stories
to relate, though, the girl left. After 2 km, a man in his late
50’s got inside the auto. His old leather bag, leather watch, balded head,
sweat on his forehead, big belly and the stitched chappals (yes, the one that
has survived till now starting early 70’s) depicted how hard is life on him.
Still he carried one inevitable modern element, the mobile phone, safely
wrapped in a plastic pouch and kept in his shirt pocket. To him mobile meant
phone and not the smart one perhaps.
It appeared as if he wanted to
start a conversation but none was there to accompany. The blank expression I
carried didn’t help him to proceed one with me. All other in the auto was
already engrossed in their android world.
The man was seated opposite to a
young girl of mid 20’s. With every beep in her mobile she typed with lightning speed a message that could easily be of 5 lines in length. The speed and the
silent conversation with her virtual partner aroused the complete curiosity of
the elderly man.
“Are your fingers not getting
hurt?” – All androidians lifted their faces to find out who is being questioned.
The man looked at the young girl feeling assured of his age. She quickly
dispatched a “No”. Little offended he did continue.
“I’m seeing you typing with only
with one hand and with the head bent. Is it not causing strain on your neck and
finger joints?” Again the girl responded a quick “No”. He continued, “Please do not mistake me. I
have a daughter of your age. She too handles the mobile like you and of course;
she too disposes my questions like you. Are you people not concerned about your
posture or the strain caused to your eyes? I see people nowadays have a lot to
communicate non-verbally and virtually. Sorry if my question has irritated
you”. The girl was least bothered on the lengthy explanation. She gave him a
smile and said “It’s OK” – the longest possible reply she could ever give.
Her short reply offended him more
I thought. He then continued expressing his views on the use of mobile phones
irrespective of who listened to him.
I really felt sorry for him and understood
his inability to cope up with the younger generation. Never would he have
thought that technology will become a compulsory part of day to day life. He
also mentioned how he has become dependent on others for using the mobile phone
for other services.
While he would be the same
person, to be happy and proud when his grand children are at ease with the
latest gadgets, he again is a victim to the ‘generation gap due to technology’.
It looked as if all his other abilities did not matter much to him when
compared to his adaptability to the latest trends. What would have been solely
on his shoulders like ticket booking, grocery shopping, innumerable walking to
the nearby by bank etc are today replaced with a single click in a hand held
device. Also having a daughter in mid
20’s, as a concerned father, he is unsure to determine, that the need for her
to talk and message endlessly, is never at the cost of her safety.
This incident kindled the
following thought in me…
“People like him are like toddlers who walk
for the first time. Toddlers do fall but are helped by their parents to learn
and enjoy what it is to walk. Similarly, today’s younger generation has the
responsibility to make these elderly toddlers comfortable and walk along with
them. That too when India wants to become "Digital India". After all charity begins at home".
Do you agree?
Friday 16 October 2015
Pattern - A small poem for kids
I kept the flowers of the mountain side
And the fallen feather of the black cuckoo
I called the clouds carrying the rains
And the gentle breeze of the ocean side
I carried the dew of the fresh roses
And the deo of the jasmine petals
I took the blue of the deep sea
And black from the dark night
The flowers and feather sat on the top
The clouds and breeze in the middle
While the dew and deo added frills
The blue and black sat at the bottom
Want to know where they are?
Just read the poem once again....
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