A Thought...

Now the Kolkata Metro can boast of a few air-conditioned rakes. Few days back I was fortunate enough to board one. It is really good and the first thing that comes to the mind is that "Oh my God, is it really Kolkata?!!" It is not surprising to feel like this if one compares Kolkata with the other metropolitan cities. After that day I've boarded it nearly four times but still I can't get out of that thrill.

All these four times as soon as I got down from the train I texted all my close friends. And we just can't stop talking about this. But my two and a half year old niece did not find it thrilling at all though she can't express properly. What I could make out from her expression is that "What is there to be so much thrilled and surprised? It is just a normal air-conditioned train like an air-conditioned room." Air-conditions are no more a luxury. Every single house has atleast one. Things have changed a lot over the years. Things of luxury have become things of necessity. Nowadays children don't even waste a thought over things which used to awe us as children.

Accumulation of wealth in the hands of certain sectors have definitely led to this. Even today if we board an air-conditioned train we text people to share our enjoyment. Children may be just 8-9 years younger than us are so drastically different. I somehow can't relate our childhood with them. Few days back while I was helping the same niece of mine with her meal I tried to tell her a story about fairies. But she was not at all interested. Instead she was interested in the television. I gifted a storybook to my brother who is 9years of age but my aunt told me that he is not interested in reading. I can see that they lack imagination. Whenever they are told to write a simple essay for example on a cat, they seek the help of the essay books. This is very alarming.

These children pick up things very fast. They know how to use nearly all the electronic gadgets but they don't have the childhood fantasies. If someone does not know the age it has become difficult nowadays to distinguish between a child and a grown-up because children don't behave the way they should. They have not learnt to compromise, they get everything they demand, they are not brought up the way they should. Fast lifestyle is taking its toll mostly on the children. Parents can't give them time and they try to fill that void by succumbing to their demands.

I think it is high time we should stop and think whether this is the right way to bring up our future generation. Should'nt we follow the dictum "everything has a time" and act accordingly. Getting everything much before before time will actually harm our society' our lives' our children in the long run..