Yes, it's that old and hence the "Once upon a time.." seems quite apt. But it isn't about the small black-and-white Onida TV of the early nineties, or the even older Weston television of my home where the entire neighbourhood would gather on Sundays for the Ramayan, Mahabharat, Shri Krishna & Chandrakanta, or the numerous occasions for the cricket matches, new year special programmes on DD National and the eagerly awaited international beauty pageants. That was a time when everything around me seemed more inspiring and less distracting.Two decades later, the same things and the same people that I drew my inspiration from, seem so different- so vulnerable, so human, and so much prone to err regardless of the fact that they might be affecting so many young, impressionable minds. Twenty years down the line, there are only different shades of gray all around to be seen- or so it may seem to the untrained eye. And that, precisely, is my point.
The change in my perspective can be reasonably attributed to my growing up at a time in history of mankind ( I am being very unabashedly generous to my generation here ;) ) which is going to be a remarkable phase in the maturing of India, and its people, and the world in general.
But, the present times, with all the comfort of internet, facebook/whatsapp/twitter- the always abuzz social media and the 24x7 News and entertainment channels have made it easier for people to get distracted in the sea of information. It has it's pros as well- in the creation of a level playing field in numerous developmental aspects (despite the IIN being the butt of several jokes) and creating greater awareness about problems of different people in different parts of the world and how they might affect us.
In this context, I am reminded of some contrasts- of how things used to be then, and how they are now. Writing has an immensely cathartic effect on me. So, I am writing down here some of the best contradictions that come to my mind-
1. Since Rahul Gandhi's return from a sabbatical (read Thailand) is fresh in public memory, I would like to begin this humble exercise with this upcoming, sorry, outgoing youth icon. Ten years ago, when Rahul Baba hadn't yet opened his mouth on anything concerning the welfare of the people of India, I have personally witnessed scores of girls drooling over him- many of them considering him as the most eligible bachelor in India. While that was a classic college-beauty-queen-ish thing ten years ago ( and I must admit I too was about to go gaga over RaGa until I saw Jyotiraditya Scindia & Sachin Pilot in the papers, but that didn't last either), just imagine a girl doing that now! I just can't stop laughing as I think of that- missing my WhatsApp smilies here !!! After all, where's the problem- he's all in for empowering women everywhere, frankly speaking!
2. From News to Newspapers- Sundays were always hotly contested days in my family- regarding who would grab the newspaper as soon as it was delivered- my grandfather, my father, my brother or me. And whoever won the race between my brother & I, would share some of the pages with the other two contenders. We did that race thing for receiving telephone calls also. Anyway, getting back to the point, it was always such a delight browsing through Sunday Sentiments, With Malice Towards One and All, and Rude Food. I must say I loved HT in those days. Some of my friends were ToI fans, but I was religiously for HT, until of course the day I switched to being a puritan Hindu follower. All of a sudden news in HT began looking so much pro Congress and anti BJP. I was drifting to the "Centre" stage of Indian politics. After years of religiously following The Hindu now, it again disappoints me in some ways when it gives me a pessimistic, gloomy & leftist view sometimes. Thankfully, I came across The Indian Express in the nick of time, and for the time being, I am happy being kept in the Centre by both Hindu & Express at different times.
Earlier news was about knowing more about what's happening in the world outside. Now, its more about trying to ensure if the written word is actually true or cooked up to suit the needs of some business/media baron or some particular neta. Not getting trapped in the "Supari Journalism" of #Presstitutes has become more important in keeping my feet grounded, as much as listening to all voices in the house. Phew! This will be really difficult for the next generation in the coming years.
3. Politics reminds me of the biggest five-yearly festivals which India celebrates, sometimes (un)desirably more frequently- Elections. Having grown up in Bihar in the 1990s reminds me of how dreadful and scary elections could be. News headlines of booth capturing, bogus voting, paid voting, violence and deaths would be the most conspicuous ones during the elections. People hardly cared to vote. There used to be a pall of disenchantment with the entire exercise in the middle class. And I was unable to grasp the minutiae of why even well educated and well-off people would vote on the basis of caste and religion. It gives me an immense amount of satisfaction to see that this has totally changed. The last two decades have seen a greater amount of transparency getting infused into the system- thanks to T N Seshan and his successors, and the transformation that they brought about into the system by staying within it. Seshan said in an interview that he didn't do anything that wasn't there in the rule books. He just implemented in letter and spirit whatever was there. I personally followed the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections in 2005 when Mr. K J Rao relentlessly and vigourously ensured that even the poorest, weakest sections felt empowered.
Bureaucrats aren't so bad after all. Some of them, quite possible, but not all. Change has been slow, sometimes the pace being excruciatingly painful- but the hope has been getting stronger with every passing day.
सिंहासन खाली करो कि जनता आती है!
4. Why So Serious???.. Yes, the next thing that has undergone a sea change in our lives in the last 2 decades is the increase in humor in our daily lives. No doubt the Common Man and Hasya Kavi Sammelans are never out of fashion. But, memes for every occasion which make even my parents laugh at situations that caused them so much pain and trouble earlier is what makes me happy. My mom feels, and so do I, that we as individuals and to some extent, as a society have avoided so much misery just by being able to laugh at it. Thanks to countless memes and jokes on Alok Nath, Dekh Bhai/Behen, Bakchod Billi, Alia Bhatt and what not. Humor isn't as ivory-towerish as it used to be. It has become more democratic. Thanks to memes and AIB/TVF/... videos that infuse much needed common sense into not just the common man, but also the high & mighty. No wonder the world knows how engineers always "Rahulgandhied" their viva ;)
5. Now this one is a bit painful to me. For a person like me who used to be religiously correct about English grammar, it has been an ordeal in the field Mechanical Engineering & manufacturing industry, where Just in Time becomes "GIT" (that was the biggest "epic" face-palm moment I ever witnessed) and "reverting back" is a norm. Ladies and gentlemen, you simply CAN'T "revert" "back". You either revert, or you're back. It's been excruciatingly painful again, I must say, when I mentally correct the English of almost every one around me, so much so that I feel even CAT & GRE can't test your English as perfectly as ICSE can. Call me whatever you like, but nothing can be more attractive than perfect words for perfect occasions. And the advent of social media on the
internet has worsened my woes. And I begin to hate myself if I make a mistake-though not as much as I used to when I was fresh out of school. But all ye churlish, dismal-dreaming bug-bears, I do desire we may be better strangers.
Peace ye, fat guts! I was just kidding in the ICSE style ;).
6. Ah well, now I would like to mention things that have really changed the personal space of our existence. Birthday wishes created such an excitement without facebook, so did the anniversaries & surprises. And how good I was at remembering birthdays and telephone numbers till I got a cellphone! Even in the era of selfies we feel like putting our eastman colour "kodak" moments as our display pics. Cartoons these days seem so dull and expressionless, almost akin to Katrina Kaif. And clean bolds are even more disgusting for a cricket-fan because of the electronic, red bails flying off the stumps. Narendra Modi seems to be the only old timer who seems to have had and is still having the best of both times- or rather, he is making the best use of modern tools and connect to get the best of both worlds.
And what I despise the most- the sweet little diyas in Deepavali being replaced by the Chinese lights all over India. The earthen lamps have an incomparable charm- the day-long labour required to place them around the house after preparing the wicks and filling the oil. That apart, they are a source of livelihood to the potters. Remember history lessons? The advent of Britishers killed Indian arts & crafts & reduced the craftsmen and artists to destitution.
Let us not blindly follow the new. Let's have the best of both worlds.
Leaving you with a pic of how I celebrated my first Diwali when alone in Jamshedpur..
Awesome is the word !!
ReplyDeleteJust too good.
Keep writing :)
Wonderfully expressed!!! Too good ;)
ReplyDelete