Loud Thinking

Of the reason whyfamily dialoguemay be missing

 By Vijay Phanshikar : “We switch off television at mealtime -- for decades now. No TV, no mobiles. Each mobile set is consciously kept away as all of us sit down for both meals. We are fortunate that even in morning, we are able to have..

Of continuedromance with books

A visit to the book store to mark the beginning of the year proved to be a great time. Thanks to professional commitments claiming a lot of time, such a rendezvous had become a rarefied activity -- and one longed to take a deep and endearing look at book shelves seeking new titles of authors well known and not so well known. Of course, buying new books is always a pleasure, no matter the cost, but even looking at the books and books and books and soaking in the faint fragrance of fresh books has its ..

Gen Z(ee) minds:Waiting to be ignited,to be inspired

 By Vijay Phanshikar : IN YEAR 2026, multiple questions and challenges confront Gen Z(ee). Multiple opportunities, too, would waltz into their lives -- ready to be grabbed and utilised. How do members of Gen Z(ee) look at such a scenario? A litt..

Of the difference between ‘liberty’ and ‘liberties’

 By Vijay Phanshikar : IN THE dictionary, the difference between ‘liberty’ and ‘liberties’ may be stated that one is singular and the other is its plural expression. In social and cultural terms, the two words express alt..

The unfortunate social game of buck-passing

  By Vijay Phanshikar : SOMETHING is seriously wrong with our society. For, multiple sections of the society are engaged in an unfortunate game of buck-passing -- which we appear to refuse to notice because that suits us well, since that s..

How the worldchanges witha book in hand !

AN EXTENDED conversation with those 5-6 young men and women -- appearing for national-level civil services examinations -- was a truly uplifting experience. None of them was sure if he/she would really crack the prestigious exam. But each of them was sure that those preparations, those months of hard work, would stand them in good stead in meeting life’s challenges. And in those preparations, book -- physical book on paper -- was a critical component. “Books made us whatever we are”, all of them said ..

Of the local heroeswe have chosento forget and ignore

THE last week brought a new conversation -- with another group of 10-12 youngsters, mostly in colleges. And the questions posed to them were about heroes of India’s freedom struggle, or in Indian science, or in Indian arts. And the overall low level of general knowledge was saddening, to say the least. For, most queries went unanswered, though some youngsters did try to browse the internet only to be able to reply to a small percentage of questions. The youngsters came from different regions of India ..

‘The Coronation’:A great metaphor of our history

  By Vijay Phanshikar :  THOSE 10-12 boys and girls -- all in their teens -- knew very little about that great moment of history -- Coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that took place 350-plus years ago. Today, as the nation orga..

Dear Lord, may the tribe of book-lovers grow

 By Vijay Phanshikar : IT WAS possibly the most joyous encounter to come across in the bookstore. There was a family -- father, mother, two boys and one girl and a grandmother in tow. All six of them were there in the book store to spend the eve..

Do we really know what our children read ? - II

THE trouble with ‘we the people’ of today is that we really, really don’t have any control on what our children -- of all ages -- do or read. Or, in other words, we also do not wish to expend our thought and energies on knowing what our NextGen people do or read. For, if we really try to take control of these areas of our young people’s lives, we will only ‘buy’ trouble for ourselves in the short and long terms. So, why worry at all ? -- as many of us tend to think (though many may never want to verbalise ..

New normals, new definitions, new thinking

THIS ‘new’ pandemic is threatening to devastate our society today. New normals are in place, new definitions are being written. New thinking is declaring old thought-process as obsolete. Its dimensions can be disturbing, of course, on many counts. One of the new normals is that young people get up late in the morning. They also go to bed after the rest of the world has finished more than half its night. Because they go to bed late in the night, they feel they have earned a right to get up late in ..

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..