Teenager's Loyalty


They may forget to

brush their teeth,
clean their closet,
change their bed sheets,
complete their home work,
wish their elders,
eat their dinner,
wake up early,
throw the trash,
help at home

but they will never forget to charge their cell phones!
It is amazing to see American teenagers and possibly the same is happening to their counterparts back home in India, going to sleep at midnight, forgetting to do everything else, but reaching out for the charger!

Come 9pm and the calls begin. Strangely enough the cell phones never ever ring. They are invariably on vibrating mode which also means that these youth have the instruments as close to their bodies as possible, carrying them in their pockets or waists 24 hours in the day, like some surgeon on call!

The calls are of varied types. They may be restricted to 'hmm', hmm hmm' or 'hmmmmm?' Or the more colorful ones like 'ye dude', 'yeh yeh', 'yeh khool'. These conversations are punctuated with several bouts of laughter, rushing to the lap top, opening the internet and watching something with the caller. So I guess the other side must be a little more voluble than this one!

The calls keep coming and going until after midnight. Which also reassuringly means that its not only this side thats spending its air time but also the 'friend' at the other end who has nothing better to do than talk or grunt.

Sometimes the calls bring in bad news and this side of the line is at a loss of words. Which means the 'yeh' yeh yeh' are not there. In its place there is much nodding of the head, again scurrying for the lap tops and some more views on the internet.

In all this efficiency of modern teenage communication, the email (which not so long ago back-dated the lovable hand written letter) is forgotten. Emails are rarely opened, letters are rarely written, land lines are rarely used and social life beyond 'friends' is rarely explored.

Which brings us to the easy one word logical conclusion" 'WHY". Why does this class of youth not communicate with others. What is it that pulls them away from us (parents, grand parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, teachers)? Why is it that suddenly (it wasn't the same 10 years back even in this country) this class feels the need for privacy to a greater extent than any other time. 'Leave us alone' . Thats their motto of life.

I remember as a kid, we did not have a TV until I was 18. But I knew all the songs that played on Vividh Bharati and the same memory serves me till date. I played outside with my friends after school, read children's magazines, read the Panorama twice over to memorize poems and held improvised front-porch skits with the neighborhood kids. Internet came to my life when I was closing on 30. All it meant for me was super fast communication.

Today's kid has to be prodded to write an essay, pushed to write a letter to grandparents, forced to sing a song, strained to draw a picture and exerted to simply talk.

I think it is because the TV, internet and cell phones have drawn a blank in their brains---they can see but not discern, they can hear but not listen, they can talk but not communicate. It is high time we got rid of these banes of life.