Shiban Khaibri
“Zip – Zap – Zoom” is the driving statement of today’s youth popularly called “Generation Y”. This is how dear Pappu, a class 12 student speeds up instantaneously his two wheeler, the motorbike on way to attending the tuitions from his home and back as also to his school. While once the “Zoom” appeared extraordinary “compulsorily” attracting the attention of the people, on shops, those going on foot on roads or looking from balconies of the houses, it became known that the silencers of the exhaust pipe of the bike were removed by him to make a “masti” of creating a deafening sound to attract the attention, I was compelled to ask a known acquaintance who appeared aghast seeing the blend of speed with noise about all this, pat came his reply, “this is what they call the blend of media and technology blurring very often reality and fantasy”. A friend of mine also joined the conversation but soon deciphered what was meant by reality and fantasy being blurred. While he tried to put it wisely and thus plainly, another young daredevil who perhaps was a few minutes late for tuitions speed past us in such a way that we had to hold our breath. This young heart was a specialty than Pappu Ji in that he had mixed speed with some thing like music perhaps as we could see two thin threads going down from his ears into his chest covered by the T shirt. Fantasy and reality topic got a halt as the spectacle sent shivers down our spines thinking that this motorbike rider had corked his ears to outside world at least to a warning horn from a vehicle following him or one coming from the opposite direction on the road with a hair pin curve.
The discussion, however, got reverted to fantasy and reality. Said my friend, of course of my age, “You remember the period when the doom started looming large on those proud Lambrettas, scooters (he started naming different brands) etc; when either mo-bikes were sort of looked down upon being not suited for families or were not opted for, being expensive than frail, slim and sleek scooters. The era of these comparatively sturdy looking motor bikes heralded when that film actor (he named him) was shown riding a motor bike and zooming his throttle on a country side road so much so that the electric lightings of one of a few households which lay on to the left side of the “brave actor” automatically got switched on. “Not only this”, my friend went on, ” many chicken along with their new born ones got released from their coops from another household, a few flying over the racing bike and the blazer coat flip flopping from the sides worn by the actor.” This, he tried to bring home the point to me, was reality breached and fantasy glorified. What role but had the media in all this, I quipped? “Advertisements, dear, advertisements, and the money or the revenue, after all if they do not do advertisements, where from shall they be earning and earning so handsomely, the TV Channels,” he clarified.
“Are these costly bikes that necessary to be given to children ostensibly to enable them reach School, tuition centres and back home, or it was an alibi to get spoilt to disregard traffic discipline was the question indignantly raised by Parvindra, a pedestrian who was hit though “tenderly” by a young mo-bike rider near Disco Morh last week but not as tenderly so as not to press and comfort his knee that pained due to the “kissing hit” ? He further argued when the “culprit” had sped away from the “scene” and passers by were comforting Parvindra, that ordinary two wheelers could be given by the parents and why not bicycles like in China and Japan? He further told that going bicycling all the way from home to school and tuition centres would keep these children physically fit, slim and healthy. A passer by who was still helping Parvindra, spilled the beans saying that it was an ostentatious display of wealth by some parents, to display the extreme affection for the children before friends and immediate relatives. The children, all agreed, misused such affection at times to be careless on roads to the extent of ramming their vehicle into some one else’s, causing injuries to self as also to the other side, in addition to damaging the vehicles followed by quarrels and tensions.
It so happens that upon seeing this reckless speeding of bikes by these post X generation youngsters on congested Jammu roads and zig – zagging their ways or snaking through small gaps in the long traffic jams, that also at neck breaking speed, makes common people not only aghast but wonder as to how do their parents allow them to do all this which risks their lives in addition to their prospective victims, this writer wanted certain allied information and thus contacted one of the dealers asking him about all this scenario not as a business man interested in ensuring maximum sales and good periodic turnover but as a responsible citizen . I came to know from him that they were at times watching emotional scenes in their showrooms when their prospective young customers were selecting the colour and the model etc of the vehicle joined by the parents usually, among other things, he shared that normally these days parents keep one or at the most two children and want their demands, at times, not justified by needs, to be fulfilled and motor bikes are the choicest ones. Many parents were revealing that they had to fulfill the promise they had made with their child, usually a son, in case of getting good ratings in the exams. Other forms or devices of modern technology besides mobikes , they were promising either exclusively or as an addition like costly cell phones, computers etc, a demonstration of parental over possessiveness, indeed. A confirmed customer at the showroom, a father having become gleefully a victim of emotional affectionate blackmail, chided those who did not understand the strong opposition faced at home in case the father not agreeing for costly bikes which most likely if not necessarily, were bound to be misused to the peril of the rider, the pillion rider and even a pedestrian. Said he that were not many parents encouraging the children to be empowered to take decisions and benefit from each previous generation’s wisdom or their follies (in suppressing innovation and personal liberty) and rather overlook any sort of skepticism to be cautious. An idealistic and also an optimistic environment is not sought after by this generation in as much as personal unhindered liberty, freedom, exploring vast opportunities, interest in politics and political developments. Perhaps many parents do think that any meddling or interfering in such a misconceived liberty and freedom would either project them as retrograde or reactionary , if not conservative when even hitherto taboos like sex education and even in some cases going to pubs for a drink or two with reveling friends, at times, in full knowledge of the parents was not an affront in “modern” social circles as any sort of regulating and restriction are projected as “Talibani” by most of the media and host of political leaders, the former for TRP and the latter for political expediency.
The first hand information which can be got from a few dealers not only in the state but elsewhere also is that seldom any dealer ensures if the prospective customer possessed a valid driving licence before the sale of a mo-bike as the loopholes in the system being many, one could gift away a vehicle to someone not possessing a licence to drive. That becomes a hazard on the road, over speeding, carrying more than two pillion riders and wearing no crash helmets was tantamount to jeopardizing the rider’s safety as also of the pillion riders in addition to others on the roads. When accidents take place due to indulging in neck breaking speed, wrong side overtaking, overloading etc; the results are shocking and at times a perpetual pain and ache for the parents. How to prevent it is the duty of the parents, the teachers as well very importantly by the traffic personnel.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
