Ashok Sharma
The generation gap has always existed in the society.But there have never been so fast changes as occured over the last few years , especially between the two generation-those born after ninteen nineties and those born before nineties ,with the birth of new values and attitudes and crumbling of old values.Not long ago we used to hear tales of fairies who were beautiful and helpful and kings and queens who stood for truth, righteousness, devotion and even sacrificed their lives for these values.We used to hear tales of Harishchandra, Rama and other kings who preferred to bear hardships rather than compromise with the basic human values.Mothers used to sing lullabies to put their children to sleep and all the members would take dinner while sitting together.But now a days as a result of fast and materialistic life, parents have no time for their children.The tradition of telling stories and singing lullabies have almost vanished.Children used to play various games and sports to develop their body and muscles.Games such as marbles, gulli danda, malkham, hide and seek, which developed strong intersocial skills and relations used to be played in villages and towns.These have now been replaced by video games and browsing of social networking sites.People were cooperative and social and they had sufficient time to share sorrows and joys, emotions and feelings on both sad and joyous occasions but we have no time to do this now.People enjoyed participating in the functions and made preparations months before and waited patiently for the days to come.Dishes such as fermented cakes, keurs, saag toda and timbru ki chatni were relished on such occasions. Those were the days when the wild fruits such as mangoes, kakoae, figs, mulberry, raspberries etc were eaten with joy and happiness.People used to have kutcha houses but their relations with each other were strong and cordial.There were few banquet halls ; yet marriages were organised and solemnised in kutcha houses. Life used to be hard but there were few cases of suicides.There were no gems yet few people died of diabetes and other health related diseases.
Those were the days when we soiled our hands with ink,applied chalk on the shoes to make them look more white, got punishment by the teachers, and would have such a respect for the elders that none dared to argue with them.Life was tough and hard but it taught the survival skills and facing the changed situation by adapting to the changed circumstances.There were few ACs, coolers, heaters and other gadgets but people managed to face each situation and live happily .In case of hot weather during summer, people would take their cots underneath the trees and slept restfully after hard day’s work.At night whenever there was breakdown of power,people would take their cots and bedsheets to the rooftops and as the showers fell, they would come down with their bedsheets.On the rooftop, it was customary to count bats going towards Kashmir for food and the child who counted the most would be adjudged as the winner.Similarly children would count the shooting stars while reclining in their cots in the dusk.In those days, radio used to rule the hearts and minds of people and people would sit around the person having radio and listen to live commentary on the match favourite programmes such as Fauzi Bhaiyon ke Liye,Desh Suhana,Dhareeche etc.Those were the times when old people would read novels often by taking them on rent and the younger ones would long for comics such as Chacha Choudhary.These books will be read fast lest the borrower should have to pay extra money as rent.Radio used to be a major source of entertainment and information and programmes such as Binaca Geet Mala, Vivid Bharti,Fauzi Bhayion ke liye etc were so popular that people would never miss them.BBC News was heard over a cup of tea in the morning to know what was happening across the world.Then came the era of television and serials such as Ramayana, Mahabharata were so popular that people would close their shops and houses and throng the shop/house which had a TV Set.The serials such as Hum log, Buniyaad, Chanderkanta, Surbhi,Hum Panch, etc and programmes such as Chitrahar and Rangoli were eagerly awaited.In those days, people used to have hard but peaceful life.They would always have time after the day’s work to share their day’s experiences with each other and offer help to those who needed it.People of a village would help each other in ploughing land,cutting grass and harvesting crops and participate in festivals and fairs in large number.In other words,they had strong inerpersonal bonds.But then came the time when Mobile Phone, Laptops, Desktops, Video games and Social media have dealt such a deathblow to television and the radio and TV that people have little time to watch TV or listen to radio.They are always found glued to the mobile phones and have little time for eachother.Not to talk of different people in the village, different members of the same family especially the youth prefer to take meals in their own rooms. Social traits are fast vanishing and the children are becoming more self centred and less tolerant.There is strong need to develop social traits in the children by involving them in community work such as Bhandaras,family functions,ensuring their participation in fairs and festivals and inculcating in them love for our rich Dogra culture.
(The writer is serving as lecturer in English Govt. Hr. Sec. School, Thial, (Udhampur).
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