Friday, January 14, 2011

Just about a decade too old

Amazing na..?? The world that aaj-kal ke kids see today, when compared to what it was when we were children. For the fact that Change is the only constant, I am just trying to list the changes between what I saw & thought growing up and what aaj-kal ke kid’s mindset is as they grow. This thing struck me when I was having a casual chat with my little sis, who happens to be 13 years younger to me…She actually made me feel like an old-old man.  Priorities have changes though the basic needs haven’t…Wry but true.

For someone who had student life spanning more than 17 years cost him no more than 30K as fees to the various educational institutes I attended, a donation of 50K to get a kid admitted to a popular school looks astronomical. Back in those days in primary school, I and my friends used to be proud of the number of ‘rakhies’ of female friends used to tie on the rakhsha-bandhan. Today, my neighbour’s kid bunks his classes on rakhsha-bandhan days, lest the lass he has his eyes on makes him a brother…Guess aaj-kal ke kids grow up in the womb before they are born.

When I grew a bit older, I kept nagging my dad to get me a cricket bat. The willow had Kapil paaji’s autograph on its face and it became an instant hit among my pals. It was the latest show-off stuff - a thing of pride. We used to spend every available minute after school playing cricket, getting dirty on the field. Our bechari moms used to yell at us for they had to wash the stains off those dresses, coz the washing machine was rendered ineffective given the caliber of dirt & stains that used to be accumulated on the shirt. A few days back, my uncle’s son was proudly narrating about how he scored a century in the previous game. And he wanted me to join him so that he could repeat his heroics again. I too was interested as I had not touched the cricket bat for ages now. I immediately picked up the bat and was about to leave when he called me in with the game ready to be played on the TV screen with his latest play station. There was one similarity- His mom too was yelling at him, not for the dirt part though. It was to prevent him from being a slave of the gadget. I concluded – Thanks to technology, gully cricket has moved from the neighbourhood gullies to the living room of the urban kids….but should we be really thankful??

The other night, my sweet li’l sis called me up to say that she was very sad for she has broken up with her boyfriend –  BOYFRIEND… #$@&^#$ BROKEN UP @#*^% .....
 FYI, she is indeed a very pretty gal and is a student of 8th std. in an elite school. For someone who had somehow never been in a relationship (crushes apart), it was difficult for me to comprehend. My li’l sis enquired “Dada, don’t you have a girlfriend? If you have one, then you should never do what ‘my ex’ did to me”. Her ‘ex’ had unfortunately gifted a dairy-milk bar to another classmate of theirs who also happens to be a girl. Phew!!! I thanked God for I’m still single (not that I don’t have girlfriends….just that they don’t see me as their boyfriend…sob..sob) and happy, though I won’t mind having a decent girlfriend…wink wink (anybody there???).

 To conclude, all I would say is a WOW to aaj kal ke kids…….But then we, who happen to be just about a decade too old aren’t that outdated as well….just that we are a generation behind. With the hope that our kids don’t call us obsolete………

Love, 
Chatz.
J..J

1 comment:

  1. Abt the 50,000 donation I have heard people paying that amount for play school...Certain well known schools here in bangalore charge that amt for monthly fees.

    Yes the next gen is too fast for us to catch up.

    And you are not the ony one in the race..

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