Loud Thinking

Of the enduring,endearing, enlivening,enriching company

EVEN in a small conversation for about 30 minutes with the young couple was enough to create an impression of their immense interest in reading -- in a traditional manner (books, magazines, poetry, essays, biographies, travelogues, autobiographies ...!). They said, they read in every possible minute they happen to have. To hear that was a happy experience...

Of failure to distinguish between liberty and liberties in the family

l The concern on the medical doctor’s face was clearly visible. In effect he said, ‘There are really not many families with young children listening to my advice on an austere life-style -- so that the kids learn not to overspend on non-essential things, eat at home, not waste time with their mobile phones, go to bed early and rise early around sunrise time. And because they take my advice lightly, I keep getting young patients with complaints of obesity and almost-totally spoilt gut health. If ..

Of the Constitution -- and the general lack of awareness !

ENGAGING those young people -- about 10-12 college-going boys and girls -- in a conversation about the Constitution of India was a revealing experience, from many angles. In a way, it was also a troubling experience since many of those young people had no idea about the Constitution. Those who happened to know something were also almost equally ill-informed about the great document that offers one of the definitions of what India is or should be. Though many of those young people knew that Dr. Babasaheb ..

Of clear benefitsof reading -- booksand newspapers

THIS subject is bound to spring up in public discourse time and again as many people are turning away from reading for reasons never explained satisfactorily. The lamest reason is that they have no time -- given the fast life in modern times in which technology alone rules the roost. That is, of course, the biggest bunkum that one can find. For, if the people spend their near-whole nights with their mobile sets -- spoiling their sleep and eye-sight and health, then it is nonsense to say that they ..

Of how goonscould be counteredeffectively

WHAT happened at the roadside tea stall that afternoon was truly shocking. Two-three boys -- about 20 years of age -- pushed an old man, possibly in his eighties, to the ground and were about to start punching him when other people intervened. The reason of their angry outburst? Simple. The old man tried to tell them not to smoke since that would spoil their health. The boys got enraged, and wanted to punch sense out of the old man. Watching the scene from a little distance, the loud-thinker, too, ..

Of a culture with only limiteduse of mobiles

NO MATTER its artistic exaggeration to make a point, a ‘reel’ on the mobile phone is really revealing a sad reality of modern life. It shows a boy who approaches a lawyer to prepare legal papers since he wants to seek a ‘divorce’ from his parents. The reason: There is an undesirable entity that has clouded his relationship with his mother and father -- their mobile sets (with which they remain engrossed all the time -- leaving him bereft of a sense of togetherness between them and him). The parents, ..

Of the horror of young,uncouth anger

l A 17-year-old class 12 student in a Government school in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh shot his school principal dead when he was admonished for coming late to the school. The boy fled from the spot, but was nabbed near Uttar Pradesh border with a country-made pistol in his possession. THERE is actually no need to say anything upon reading the horror-filled news item. Anybody would get speechless upon imagining what must have happened at that fateful moment. But there is little doubt that ..

Why has prayer gone missing from our lives? - II

TRUE, temples are receiving throngs of devotees on a daily basis -- young and old. Consequentially, there is reason to believe that prayers are pretty popular with people. People pray, bow to the Divine, surrender to the Ultimate Power ... and then place demands at the altar! So, prayer is very much relevant in people’s lives, as anybody would see and say. How, then, can one ask why the prayer has gone missing from our lives ? This question does need a rather elaborate consideration. For, prayer is ..

Appeal to parents: VII Please protect yourchildren fromoverwhelming rot

THE strongest reason to write this serial appeal to parents is that they must not lose sight of their responsibility towards not just their wards but also towards the larger society -- so that the youngsters turn out to be good citizens and healthy personalities living a happy and meaningful life. Many parents may tend to think that they know how to care for their children. Yet, they need to be told that parenting is not a touch-and-go affair, but a full-time commitment to ensuring that the off-springs ..

Appeal to parents: VI Please protect yourchildren fromoverwhelming rot

By Vijay Phanshikar : “Sir, there is a lot of stuff on social media speaking of India as a backward society in the past now making progress because of western education and technology. Is that really so? But there also are many feat..

Appeal to parents: V Please protect yourchildren fromoverwhelming rot

“My daughter just refuses to listen to us. Whenever some family elder tries to tell her a word or two of wisdom, she just flares. She shouts. She throws tantrums. For a 19-year-old, such a conduct is not proper, but she just just does not bother. A friend also scared me by telling that he saw my daughter smoking cigarette. I was shocked beyond words. When I confronted her, my daughter about that, she threw a tantrum that really scared daylight out of me. She said, she was free to behave the manner ..

Appeal to parents: IV Please protect your children from overwhelming rot

MAY we not miss the reality of the silent invasion on the minds of our youngsters via the digital route. Among the themes that are fed into their unsuspecting minds and innocents heads, one is that India of the past was a land of snake-charmers and cheap magicians. Another nuance of that ugly feeding is that the Indian society was largely dominated by ignorance and unscientific beliefs that have kept the country backward through times. An extension of this is that Indians knew no science and the ..

Appeal to parents: III Please protect yourchildren fromoverwhelming rot

BY NOW, no doubt is left behind about what kind of invasion is taking place of the mental space of our youngsters. Every kind of negativism is being fed into their impressionable minds -- resulting into some terribly shocking ideas germinating in their heads and taking roots and growing menacingly. Naturally, our youngsters are popping up ideas and behaviours that shock anybody out of wits. This is making it compulsory for the larger society to start devising ways and means to counter the dirty narrative ..

Appeal to parents: I Please protect yourchildren from overwhelming rot

By Vijay Phanshikar : THE current realities that we appear to be missing to notice have triggered this appeal. A major part of these realities refers to our young generation. Hence this appeal -- to parents of children in the age-bracket of 18-..