Dr A S Bhatia
I am very addicted to the speeches of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and was sitting in front of TV screen to watch the” Pariksah pe Charcha – 2023. “We should keep one area as No technology zone and do not use any technical devices in that area of your homes”, This will help you to reconnect with your families” These words of our prime minister pierced deep into the grey matter of my mind! “Digital fasting” the guru mantra for peaceful and stress free life was given by none other than the prime minister of this glorious country. After Yoga, this concept of Digital fasting will be well perceived by the world community! Was there any mobile phone when I was born? Even land line phones were not available, but the communication among loved ones was great ! In summer, we used to go to our Naani’s house! A big gathering of young ones and elders for a month together, taking all three meals together! The women folk was busy the whole day cooking meals or knitting the woolen clothes popularly known as “sweaters” ahead of approaching harsh winters and the men discussing different social issues or playing cards ! but everyone was involved in the family physically!
Time passed, technology overcame the ingenious expressions. First it was Doordarshan ! A Weston TV, then a brand name, came to the Mohallas. There was a single TV and the entire mohalla used to sit and watch the Chitrahaar (a show of movie songs) or the TV serials aired by Lahore TV. The interpersonal interactions started to decrease as everyone was engorsed in the TV programmes! That was the initiating point when we realized that the technology is more important than to talk to my next door neighbour! The drifting had started, then there was a flood of technology, it switched over to cordless phones then pagers, mobile phones, smart phones, social networking sites like facebook, whatsapp, twitter, instagram, you tube and many more! When the technology was not there , there were more interpersonal interactions and as the latest technology invaded the society and we got drifted fast into a virtual world!
After listening to the Prime minister, I sat on a sofa and tried to analyse myself and my indulgence in social media. I started to revisit my twenty four hours daily routine. I usually get up around four in the morning. I looked back what is the first thing I have to do after getting out of my bed! And at no loss of a second, I realized, first thing was to look for my smart phone in the bed and to search for it ! Then this digital device remained with me in my wash room , in my kitchen and even on the road while I was doing my brisk morning walk to complete my pedometer target !
After the walk, next step for me is to go for a shower but still this machine is with me with old melodious songs of Kishore Kumar being played! Truly speaking once I tried to analyze my full routine after listening to my Prime minister , I was shocked, at no given point of time I was left alone by this faithful digital dog ! I doubted, who is the master of the two me or this digital machine? At the end of day I realized I never looked up towards sky, I never tried to hear the beautiful chirping of the birds sitting on the branches of big peeple tree in the morning , I never felt the heavenly feeling of seeing a rising sun in the morning, because all time my hands and my eyes were engrossed in the smart screen ! Is this the way a life should be lived? The “pariksha pe charcha” has been an eye opener for me and many others like me!
As result of the effect of Prime minister’s speech, I decided not to use my Smartphone from 8 pm to 10 am next morning. The first day was difficult and many a time I took the phone and then left it. It happened many a time during first few days. I was finding it difficult to handle it . Another interesting thing which I experienced that it was only me in the house who was not using social networking, rest everyone was deeply engrossed in it! That thing constantly irritated me! I realized why the elders are finding very uncomfortable with new generation. But soon after a week, this overnight digital fasting began to show its results. I was feeling refreshed! And the contagious effect was also noticed in the family as Aakash and Harleen and even our maids had reduced the frequency of using social networking! I was feeling relieved, Now , I was not stressed by the rumours , religious hatred messages along with pseudo patriotism of self styled what’s app groups. I was not wasting my hours in watching the reels as was also pointed out by our Prime Minister that it is difficult to come out of reels once you start them! I was away from fear- mongering messages and moreover I was not immediately accessible and was living my life at least from 8pm to 10 am. I was now better without it.
As was said by Mr Prime minister, Digital fasting will reconnect you with your families; it was the greatest after-effect which I experienced, now we at home are taking dinner together and are discussing different issues. It is true that social media these days have become our virtual home and it is not possible to live without it, but to tame it, is very important and a chapter on what is the proper way to use social networking sites may be included in curriculum books. Our all day to day activities, may it be banking , official purpose, grievance redressal system, to get connected with our friend are dependent on social sites , but again as an old saying goes on, “Excess of everything is very bad” So time has come when each of us should learn the art of Digital fasting. I realized that mobile is a good servant but a very bad master! An “International Digital Fasting Day” may be celebrated to spread the awareness about the necessity to control the use of virtual world and to create a No Technology zone in each and every house of the country where no one will use any technical device in that area of the home, as was advocated by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Among many changes which I experienced while observing overnight Digital fasting was a better sleep, I developed other hobbies to pass my time, I got more connected to my family, there were less frequency of heated arguments with Harleen, my wife, which she liked as the most favorable after effect of Digital fasting, thanks Mr Prime Minister !! I started to enjoy life more and also I started to give some time to myself and to my GOD. What else you need, as we detox our body by using different types of diet, it is very high time to detox our mind and soul by observing few hours of Digital fasting everyday! Otherwise as Mirza Ghalib said,
Dard jab dil mein ho
To dawa keejiye,
Dil hi jab dard ho toh
Kya keejiye.
(The author is Principal, Government Medical College Rajouri)
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