“I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interactions. The world will have a generation of idiots.” – Albert Einstein.
It was a weekend evening and the members of the Mankar family were gathered in the living room to catch up on a much needed family time and to plan out the next family holiday. The weekdays were usually very busy for all, Mr. And Mrs Mankar were professionals and their two children, two twin girls aged nearly 18 years were involved with preparing for their college admissions. The weekends were usually time for the family to be together. The twins were as different from each other as possible, one was sports oriented and the other was more inclined towards art. One was a bit feisty and the other quieter however they were always close to each other. Their pet dog and a couple of domestic support staff made up the rest of the family. It was a family with well organized schedules and routines and in the large expansive house sometimes the atmosphere was so quiet even when the family members gathered in the same room that it might lead one to wonder whether the house was unoccupied. Of course from time to time when the in-laws and extended family visited and stayed with them the home seemed far more vibrant and bustling.
It was a weekend evening and the members of the Mankar family were gathered in the living room to catch up on a much needed family time and to plan out the next family holiday. The weekdays were usually very busy for all, Mr. And Mrs Mankar were professionals and their two children, two twin girls aged nearly 18 years were involved with preparing for their college admissions. The weekends were usually time for the family to be together. The twins were as different from each other as possible, one was sports oriented and the other was more inclined towards art. One was a bit feisty and the other quieter however they were always close to each other. Their pet dog and a couple of domestic support staff made up the rest of the family. It was a family with well organized schedules and routines and in the large expansive house sometimes the atmosphere was so quiet even when the family members gathered in the same room that it might lead one to wonder whether the house was unoccupied. Of course from time to time when the in-laws and extended family visited and stayed with them the home seemed far more vibrant and bustling.
As the tea and snacks were being cleared
away, Mrs Swati Mankar asked if anyone had any suggestions or preferences for
the family holiday. There were a few mumbles from the kids for their attention
was glued to their mobile screens, their fingers rapidly tapping on the keys,
perhaps exchanging or responding to messages or surfing on social media sites
or playing games. This was often the scene in the household of late and Mr
Mankar was equally caught up between responding to calls and watching
television. His attention too was divided and needless to say the discussion on
the holiday plan did not progress as expected. However, Mrs Mankar had already foreseen
this scenario and had already made up her mind with regards to the upcoming
vacation.
As a child psychologist, Mrs Mankar
dealt with various behavioural issues with children of different age groups, on
a regular basis. In her children she did not see any deviational behaviour that
could be of major concern, however lately she has been involved in several
cases involving teenagers which has made her aware of the impact of social
media and gadgets on children and she was prone to comparing and observing her
own children against these latest trends. She had read enough about how
destructive and obsessive the games were and about the negative impact of
social media on children. She had also noted that conversation among the family
members had become minimal. They were all like isolated entities even when in
the same room, a sense of detachment was visible in her teenage daughters. Even
when her daughters were sitting with each other there was more finger tapping
on the mobile phone than verbal exchanges. This was not normal, because they
were each other’s best friends; giggles, gossip, leg pulling and fights were
normal.
Last month when the grandparents were
here and there were family get-togethers she noted that the children did not
spend enough time with the grandparents or did not participate in the family
conversations. Her children and their cousins even when in a group were more
focused on mobiles or laptops and any questions to them were answered in
monosyllables. She had seen these children walk with a drooping shoulders, head
bent down with eyes on mobile, staying up late to be on Facebook or play online
games. They were neither interested in their family nor their surroundings.
They were often lethargic and groggy and even irritable if dragged into a
conversation. It was not at an acute stage yet but if something had to be done
it had to be done now. Soon the daughters would go to college and be away from
home, there would be less and less of family time.
She took up the conversation with her
husband post dinner as they were retiring for the day. She shared her fears and
her suggestion that this time the holiday must be planned in such a way that
for that 3 weeks they could be in the midst of deep nature where network
signals were frail and the access to internet entirely cut off. She suggested a
coffee estate deep within Masinaguri where her sister had visited with her
family. There are enough opportunities for activities like trekking, animal
safari, photography, story-telling by the bonfire, local bands coming in to
entertain guests with country music, visit to coffee a factory, pottery making,
some gardening, etc. Basically there was enough to keep guests engaged and help
them enjoy the leisurely pace and rejuvenate from the fatigue of modern life.
Soon all arrangements were finalised, although the children did not readily
like the idea of being so isolated.
They reached Masinaguri resort and
settled in to enjoy their holiday and within a day or two, Mrs Mankar saw her
daughters laughing more, talking to each other more, going out for walks and
treks, participating enthusiastically in the different activities and above all
making friends and being social. Mrs Mankar was exceedingly happy with the
outcome of her holiday plans but she began contemplating if something could be
done to make this change more permanent. In a conversation with Mrs. Simon, the
owner of the resort, she mentioned her concerns and Mrs Simon suggested that
they should consider sending their girls to the Good Shepherd Finishing School
in Ooty.
Mrs Simon explained that the School,
located in Ooty nestled in the pristine hills of the Nilgiris mountain range
had courses on offer which helped change ‘a young girl into a lady’, The
residential programs covered topics like the art of self-presentation, public
speaking, protocol, etiquettes and social graces to help handle every
interaction in every social setup with poise and confidence. The learners were
exposed to different sports including squash, horse-riding and golf; a foreign
language; musical instruments of their choice; baking and cooking of several
popular national and international dishes and different competitions to prove
their merit in learning. Mrs Simon connected her with a counsellor from the
school who filled her in with more details about the school and the programs on
offer. Mr and Mrs Mankar were suitably impressed and decided to go ahead with
admitting their girls to the school. And a few months later when the Mankar
girls returned home after completing the program, the parents observed with
awe, the impressive changes in the behaviour of the girls who were now poised,
confident and well-mannered young ladies and made a mental note to send a
heartfelt ‘thank you’ note to Mrs Simon.
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