This post is a part of “Beyond Boundaries” at BlogAdda.com in association with INK 2014.
Collaborating Blogger: Kiran Acharya The Conchblower.blogspot.in
I am a Punekar - by birth and at heart. I was born in ‘Aamchi Mumbai’ and grew up in Pune. I lived all my formative years in the city, influenced by the local culture and people. Somewhere at the ripe young age of 29, I left the city to go abroad for further studies. It was with mixed feelings that I left. This was my first foray into the world outside my cocooned shell. My four and a half years abroad were the most enriching time of my life, both in terms of experiencing life and the world outside, as well as for giving me the opportunity to meet people from diverse cultures, ethnic and family backgrounds. It was an experience I would not trade for anything in the world.
Collaborating Blogger: Kiran Acharya The Conchblower.blogspot.in
I am a Punekar - by birth and at heart. I was born in ‘Aamchi Mumbai’ and grew up in Pune. I lived all my formative years in the city, influenced by the local culture and people. Somewhere at the ripe young age of 29, I left the city to go abroad for further studies. It was with mixed feelings that I left. This was my first foray into the world outside my cocooned shell. My four and a half years abroad were the most enriching time of my life, both in terms of experiencing life and the world outside, as well as for giving me the opportunity to meet people from diverse cultures, ethnic and family backgrounds. It was an experience I would not trade for anything in the world.
That was around the
time technology was changing gradually.
Letters and telegraphic messages were being replaced by fax. STD and International dialling were gaining
popularity despite the high costs. I
remember missing home and family a lot and wanting to talk to my parents to
share the ups and downs of my life with them.
As a student on a stipend, I had to be extremely careful with my money
and would call say 2-3 times in extremely desperate times – and that with a
guilty conscience. Companies selling
international calls for a fraction of the regular price started making their
presence felt and that came as a relief for people like me.
The advent of
electronic typewriters and computers gradually made the conventional typewriter
obsolete. User friendly versions of
operating systems like Windows were replacing the maddening DOS version. However, computer technology was still the
domain of professionals. It had yet to
touch the lives of the common person, many of whom still had major mental
blocks about touching a computer. As a
researcher, I had my own computer and I remember kids coming and playing games
on my desk top. Internet had also slowly started touching the lives of common
people – e mail services were already in vogue.
The advent of social
networks during the early 2000’s took the world as we knew it by storm.
Unlike
me, who experienced the phase of change, my fellow blogger, Kiran, who lives in
Mumbai, belongs to the generation which was born during this period of
technological revolution and has this experience to share: “The
advent of social networking in India which started during my college days,
started off like a whiff of fresh air and took our stagnant minds by storm. For me, it
started with ‘Orkut’ which was used initially only to connect with friends;, the network expanded
as did the definition of friends. Friends were no longer the people you meet
regularly at college or go for a movie with. The term expanded to include many
people whom you haven’t even met. They didn’t have to be the same age, or stay
in your region, sometimes your viewpoint differed too. The thread which tied us
was common interests in the same subjects.”
Somewhere around the
time all this was happening, I returned to India and ‘settled down’. (Oh how I hate that word! It sounds like slush or mud that settles and
decays.) Anyway, I moved to a new city
after getting married. For 15 long
years, I had many acquaintances, but no real ‘friends’ to speak of – at least
not in the sense I understand the word and this, despite being a working woman
with exposure to the world outside the home.
I had to deal with my self-doubts, doubts about my social skills or lack
of it by reminding myself that I was the same person who had so many friends at
home as well abroad. It was just that I
did not jell with the social and cultural ethos of the city.
My use of technology during
this phase of my life was restricted to my professional needs. As a teacher, it was good to be able to give
a search on Google for supplementary teaching material.
Strange as it might
sound, it was around this time that illness ‘fortunately’ struck and I was grounded for almost 3 years, going
out only if my life depended on it; (oh, no worries! I have not lost it - the tough phase has not
softened me in my head). My only
‘outings’ were to the hospital for checkups for myself, to tend to my mom who
had a surgery for a broken hip and later on to the home for Alzheimer’s
patients to visit her when she was admitted there. That would be 3 - 4 times a week. It was enough reason for anyone to go into
depression or lose it altogether. But I
was lucky.
A couple of friends
introduced me to the world of social networking – Facebook and a women’s
networking site called Indusladies.com.
That was the beginning of a new phase of my life. I started writing on the ladies’ site and the
transformation in my life had to be experienced to be believed. For one, I got to express my views on various
topics freely. I found it to be a very
enriching experience, getting to know other people and their perspectives
through their writings, responses and interactions on line. “Birds of a feather flock together”. I found a number of friends there. It is often said that people in the virtual
world are very different from what they are in real life. Well, I don’t deny that risk, but from my personal
experience, I found the opposite to be true.
Often, people in the real world need to put on a mask, whereas they can
be their real selves behind the protective screen of anonymity online.
I met and got to know
some of these friends in person and some of them have even come and spent 3-4
days with me at my place. They were
exactly as they appeared to be in the virtual world. It is not as if I did not come across some
twerps, but then one cut them off and got on with life. I would not miss making all the friends that
I did, just for fear of meeting a handful of nitwits. Many of these friendships have transcended
the virtual space. How can I forget the
time when I was in the ICU after spinal surgery and my “virtual friends” kept
calling to find out how I was doing, talking to me when I could and helping me
keep up my spirits! I, too, was so
addicted to the site; I found it hard to be off line. I managed to get my notebook into the ICU and
blogged the day after surgery – a 4 part blog about the experience. ("A
Story of a Valentine's Day And A Few Days That Followed") The response was overwhelming. From
concerned enquiries to exhortations to take rest, I did not feel the lack of
friends or relatives by my side during that time.
There was so much
support, mental and emotional when I was reeling under the impact of my
mother’s illness. How many of my
‘virtual’ friends have come to help me when she was in hospital and in the
home! There was so much of emotional
support when she eventually passed on 3 months ago.
It has been really nice
to get to know some people from other countries through online games. Apart from the games, there have been many
chat sessions too. Many a sleepless
night has been spent chatting with friends across time zones, making the dreary
hours easier to bear. Not seldom have I
been asked by them why I am awake so late and been told to go to bed “NOW”. :-D Why should they care?
The opportunity to make
a lot of friends in specific groups based on shared interests, ranging from
poetry, to books to cooking and food, on Facebook has also been a very good
experience.
Apart from all this, I
discovered some new skills and with the encouragement of these ‘strangers’ or
‘virtual friends’, whichever way one likes to look at them – I prefer the
latter – I started developing those; first and foremost I grew more savvy about
using computer applications. It was a
great step, just overcoming a major mental block. I found my passion for writing and some
amateur photography. The fact that I
have people, with whom I can share these, encourages me to develop those
hobbies even more. In fact, three of my
stories were published in an anthology just 3 days ago. It was such a thrilling moment. I now hope to hone that skill further.
Blogging
brought me in touch with a lot of other bloggers, young and old. The experience is what unites all of us,
across the board. Kiran’s experience bolsters
my statement. “Then, I started blogging, reading other blogs and connecting with
bloggers. Reading blogs introduced) me to complete new kind of travel experience
- armchair travel. As a tourist, one travels to places and gathers
information provided by the tourist guide; but most of the times, one merely scratches the surface. One can’t capture the ethos of the place in just one visit. But, when you see the world through the eyes of the regional
blogger, you get to see a different world. Instead of visiting a place, the place comes visiting
and reveals its secrets. Then, when you travel to the place, it somehow seems
more beautiful and meaningful.
Earlier, only a few
people could express their views and the rest would accept whichever argument
was more convincing to them. There was no scope for interactive
discussions. Freedom of expression has now
got a new meaning; people don’t just have the freedom, but also the means of
expression. Blogging has made it easier for everyone to share their thoughts.
Instead of a debate between two opposing viewpoints, we now have multiple perspectives
due to contribution of diverse ideas.
Stereotyping is so
common in social interactions leads to many misconceptions. For example, myths about ‘lack of morals’ based on
what is seen in movies are not unknown.
Within India, all North Indians refer to all South Indians as ‘Madrasis’
just the way, all North Indians are frequently blanketed under the description
‘Hindikara’ meaning Hindi speaking people. The fact that the culture varies
even within these regions was not clear.
Advent of technology gave everyone the chance to get in touch with people who stay in other areas and realise
that hardly anyone conforms to a stereotype. People are learning the value of accepting others and, getting to know about their culture, instead of abusing them with
preconceived notions.”
This is entirely about
how technology has helped me grow on a personal level. Talking of technology on a general level, I
cannot but help feeling overwhelmed by the sheer wealth of information that is
available today, to every person at the tap of a key. It has opened up a new world to kids who
learn so much, thanks to the exposure they get.
I remember my school days, when what we read was dictated by the books
that were available in the school or public libraries, that too subject to
availability. Today, Google and Wikipedia
have turned into the human versions of “akashic
records.” ‘Ask and you shall know’ seems to be the modern day mantra. So much so that “Google” has changed from a
proper noun to a verb. I love ‘googling’
for information. :-D A friend with a
literary bent of mind referred to Google as the present day Jeeves!
‘Skype’ is one more
marvel of the modern world. It is like
having people walk in to your room for a chat whenever you wish them to be
there – the modern version of Aladdin’s magic lamp. It is so good to see young people today,
being able to go where they will and still being able to communicate with near
and dear ones at home without having to spend a dime. It is such a boon to parents whose children
have flown the nest for far off climes.
The feeling of connection over distances is indeed comforting.
How many times did I
wish I could take my parents abroad just to share all my experiences and the
beautiful places I got to see! Had they
been there today, all I would have needed to do would have been to transport
them using a smart phone!
Talking of parents and
smart phones, it is such a wonderful feeling these days to see people in their
60s and 70s keeping themselves mentally engaged and active on the net. Tablets, I-phones, smart phones..... Many of them use the Internet to share their
knowledge, experience and talents with people around the world. Where is the scope to get bored?
Internet has come as a
boon to both young and old when it comes to shopping online for everything
under the sun. No need to go running to
the market to buy furniture, groceries or anything for that matter. It is available at the click of a button. No need to trouble children or depend on them
to do your shopping for you.
Many housewives are
finding a degree of financial independence, thanks to ‘work from home’ schemes
on the internet. Looking for directions and all human beings can give you are vague instructions? Why bother to ask them? Check out your GPS. Want to find an address or a phone number? Ask Google.
Everyone says that
learning is a lifelong experience but as you grow older, you develop some fixed notions and find it
difficult to change them. However,
rapidly changing technology keeps on pouring information into your lap without giving your thoughts a chance to ‘settle
down. It’s becoming difficult for anyone to claim knowledge of everything due
to the pace at which knowledge is increasing. According to Socrates, “the
only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” Technology is
certainly, doing its best to make us wiser.
Indeed, technology has
changed the world to a global village. (All
that is now left, it seems, is for people to be teleported wherever they wish
to go! :-D) It has brought people closer
and opened the door to cross-cultural understanding and will hopefully be the
harbinger of world peace some day.
Interesting post. Technology has changed our life, outlook perception, for good or for bad.
ReplyDeleteThanks Harish. Good or bad depends on how it is used. :-D
DeleteA wonderful post Swati ji.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kiran. Enjoyed collaborating with you. :-D Look forward to more such ventures.
DeleteTechnology has its advantages, but also problems. It, for example, has brought work into our homes and makes people work in the nights and Sundays. There is a price to pay for advances in technology!
ReplyDeleteDestination Infinity
True Rajesh. There are some things we need to learn how to balance, but other things like work are often not in one's hands in this era of pink slips.
Delete