Invited by a friend, who like me is into early 30s, at a bar in afternoon where he had been taking drink all alone, I had reasons to brood on our age induced behavioral changes. Speaking less and taking broad views on issues around us, I thought we were not at all the “rocking youth” that we used to be when we were in our 20s.
We are now grown ups and the talks that used to thrill us in our yesteryears sound frivolous and boring ways to kill the abundant time that we had.
Soon, we were joined by a group of five, who were early into 20s or were they teenagers. Rocking band of new generation youth, must say, who give a damn to most of the things in life nowadays. A solitary girl among them ordered beer and rest settled for hard drinks, puffing cigarettes hard.
Though we in our 20s hardly ever talked with girls given the society that we grew in, it was amusing to hear these kids discussing body parts of their female friends with all the gusto with a girl in their group taking great joy at vivacious descriptions.
As they made most of the noise, we turned towards them many a time. We also looked into them with our perspectives. My friend quipped if this is the new generation what would be our kids when they grow up. Hypothesizing, as most of the “grown ups” do, we also wondered if these rocking band ever thought of being first be able to buy a drink by their earned money before stepping into a bar.
It’s a different matter that the liquor law in Delhi prohibits youth below the age of 25 being served liquor. The laws in Delhi are just for booting them!
Recently, I came across an Orkut group called “Need No Advice” with its punch line: “We are grown ups. And even if we aren't, we are better off without advice. And hey we dont give a f*** abt wat you think.. WE ARE THE KINGS OF OUR OWN WORLD..”
Frightening or bewildering!
Just wonder if anyone had ever lived a life without advice in one way or the other.
Are the 20s’ folks living a pseudo life with a world full of misplaced perception created around them by their parents for reasons best known to them? A friend some years ago was left gasping when his student gave the definition of a poor. “A poor is one who drives Maruti 800 car and lives in a DDA flat,” she had said.
I must say that I have no remorse at all being into early 30s and growing up when Indian socio-polity and economy were in tumult, thus educating our generation socially and intellectually.
2 comments:
Well, as a kid I was once being sermonized by my father to concentrate on studies and when I gave the alibi of erratic power supply in the house, he said, "When we were students, we had to study in the light of dhibri with mosquitoes biting us on all our body parts. We used to reach our schools on bicycle riding more than 10 kilometres everyday and you people are getting so much facilities, your school is just stone's throw away, then you are complaining about power cuts."
Despite having respect for all the hardships my father underwent and made a well-educated and cultured man of himself, the child in me replied back immediately, "What's the use of studying and progressing if my children have to live in the similar conditions in which I live."
We work hard so that the next generation lives a better life, and this has been true in the past too. So I don't find anything wrong with kids entering the pub even without bothering to think if they are able to pay the bills from their pocket. Their parents have worked hard so that their children don't have to bother about money.And nobody's name is written on the currency.
The law that prohibits people below 25-years of age from drinking is archaic and needs to be changed. If one can cast his vote at an age of 18, the same age makes one grown up enough to decide if one should drink or not.
And as far as making boisterous noise in the pub is considered, today's youth work hard, they are stressed out, I hope Manish will agree. We were not under as much pressure as these kids are and so their way of unwinding is also different and more lively. And I don't see anything wrong with them making noise unless it disturbs others present at the place.
As far as discussing the female body in presence of opposite sex is considered, I believe this is the best thing to have happened in the recent times. Letting others (women especially) know of your likes, dislikes and preferences, you are making them ready for the society and for their life which has to come one day. Achieving that state in society should be the ideal target of any sex education programme in the country. People of different sexes should shed their restrains in discussing issues related to sex with their partners and friends and get knowledge (enlightenment) from well-informed sources and should not have to depend upon cheap sleaze available in the market for satiating their curiosity.
I see that the Y-Generation kids are young achievers and they are getting things in life quiet early. I find them grown-up enough, need is for us to grow, need is for us to shed our prudishness and respect their freedom. And if they don't give a damn to your advice, they have got a reason. They are better-informed than their oldies, and they have done their homework well. Give them the freedom to grow.
The idea of putting a second comment to this beautifully written article doest'nt mean to find any fault with the writer's perception of things in life but it is just to add how each individual has its own notion of living.
As the two great minds have put forth their ideas about the do and don'ts of generation next, I would also like mention here that I firmly believe in the phrase, 'first deserve than desire' In fact, to be endowed with something, we first need to value it. Our fathers worked throughout their lives, studied under the light of dhibri, walked miles everyday to school, just to end up with a government job in hand. Being the only earning hand, catered to the needs of five or more in the family, paid the fees of our english schools without bothering his own desires.
And perhaps that is all what makes him 'self made' and an achiever in life.
May be he has given a raise of few thousands over decades of hardwork, but he gets still committed to get his son admitted in the most premier engineer or medical colleges.
What the hell can any child or any generation on this earth would achieve if he is blindfolded with his own cravings and give damn to his parents sacrifice in bringing him up.
It doesn't matter at what age you start puffing cigrettes or taking drinks,the important thing is whether you are accountable to your actions or not. The moment you become responsible you are always welcome to do any of the adult things.
Today's parents feel proud not to put their kids in dearth of any thing, be it in their wardrobe or collection of latest eltronic gadget. This is from where they inculcate the habit of wasting and deregarding things in life. When they know their parents have enough of it, they will never think of saving anything.
If anyone really wants to make his next geneartion value money and life in the same sense, let him suffer the hardships of his share, let him go through sleepless nights, because only then he will relish the joy of achievement.
There is no solidarity in blowing away parents hard earned money, dare to blow away yours!
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