Round and round we go
One of the problems of writing a regular column for over a decade is that I have to scratch my head to think of a suitable topic every now and then. I try and keep away from political opinions as this paper has several competent writers who have a firm grip of the ground realities, and report from a wide field of experience. Nevertheless, there are occasions when it becomes impossible to ignore the reality of local and world events that are going to have a profound impact in the coming years. It is a strange coincidence that the last year has seen some really momentous elections across the world, even as the US presidential election in November that will decide the fate of the Democrats and the Republicans is the undoubted chart topper.
Europe, though no longer what it once was, has seen the kind of changes that have shaken many. With the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine reaching a point of serious discord among the surrounding countries and a huge sense of donor fatigue setting in, no one knows how to bring the two sides to the negotiating table. Then there is the erupting Central Asian landmass: what was a localised dispute between Israel and Palestine now threatens to engulf Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Egypt. The human cost is already unacceptable and the sight of fleeing civilians, of little children and women flocking to hospitals with half-dead infants is so painful to watch that I have to shut my eyes to block out the wails and sirens. Even the standard war rule to keep hospitals and civilian settlements out of the range of bombing has been transgressed so often that the world no longer reacts with the horror that this deserves.
No one, it seems, is in control any longer. After the US forces fled Afghanistan, leaving its hapless people to deal with the Taliban that took over, no one trusts its role in this conflict. They have ruined this once beautiful land, the cradle of human civilisation, so how can one seriously believe that they care for human lives? Every country is only out to secure its own interests, trade routes and oil. Expect nothing from anyone is the lesson that these so-called super powers have taught us. All they can do is preach high-minded moral lessons from the safe podiums of the UN. Shame on them all.
Look at our own country. Do you remember another time when the fate of our major political parties depended so crucially on the elections that are taking place now? Day after day, there are speculations about which state is going which way. Delhi is scripting a nautanki version of the Ramleela, with Ram, Hanuman, Bharat and a Ravan re-defined in the ongoing drama.
J&K is another story. No one knows who is aligned with whom and what shape the government will take after the hoo-ha dies down. Huge sums of money are reportedly being exchanged to prop up dummy candidates and buying out defectors. Haryana, the original home of the Aya Ram, Gaya Ram story, is yo-yoing between the two major parties locked in a fierce battle. Just a few years back, Punjab and Haryana were the two bright spots in the country. Today, I am aghast to see what corruption, cronyism and drugs have done to them. The work done by the previous political leaders in making Punjab, Himachal and Haryana such progressive economies is all but forgotten.
From there, let me turn to what else is making me very anxious. And that is the serious damage that has taken place in our reading habits. I have been writing a book for a few months now and am wondering whether I should even complete it. The attention span of our younger generation has shrunk so drastically that even the most remarkable teacher is unable to hold their attention for more than 15 minutes. The sale of books is so low that unless the topic is self-help, health or gossip, the marketing teams have to scratch their heads to reach out to a new set of readers. An old friend, an eminent historian and academic who now teaches at a prestigious private university, was almost in tears as he recounted how deeply disappointed he was at the lack of interest among the new children who are joining these grand universities that have state-of-the-art libraries and campuses. Wired to their devices, their eyes glaze over after the first few minutes. They seldom have questions to ask and one can sense their impatience at the lack of entertainment in academic lectures.
Perhaps, we should consider using cinema and the OTT platforms as mediums of instruction. After every serious topic, there should be an item number with catchy rap to drill the foregoing lesson home. Can you imagine the thrill that this will provide? If you don’t believe me, consider the mad rush for tickets for the Coldplay concert this December in Mumbai. All the tickets were sold out within the first few hours and the very kids who wouldn’t shell out a few hundred rupees to buy a textbook, were willing to pay thousands for a single ticket!
‘Yeh duniya gol hai’ was not just a popular Sixties song, it was a warning. Sadly, we just did not heed it.
