The Father-Son Parable
When I read the title of the assignment, I laughed. How quaint and antique could one be to even think about life without mobiles and/or technology? Even our septuagenarians spent half their day chatting on mobiles or scrolling WhatsApp. But the assignment demanded attention, and I sat, fingers tapping the laptop keyboard, clicking Google and other Search Engines, typing questions for readymade AI-whetted ChatGPT answers. A world of knowledge blinked on my screen as I waited for the Kathi Roll I had ordered and paid for online.
A bit of reading, some intelligent cut-paste work, and ‘Hey Presto!’ my assignment would be ready, for an ‘A+’, if not a ‘D’ (distinction) from my Samvada Editorial Dictatorial Team. In less than 15 minutes, I would comfortably slink into a remote-controlled recliner, put the Editors into ‘spam’, and surf my favourite shows on an LED TV, while ordering ‘Alexa & Siri’ to play with the room ambience and temperature to my liking.
Knock! Knock! Enter my friend!! He slam-dunks shut the laptop. Drags me out to a nippy breeze under a wispy cloud sky. No time to even pocket my lifeline … the mobile. Technology lies on the carpet of our closed home. I am grumpy but my pal is in high spirits. His exuberance soon envelops me. We chat as we cycle. We exchange anecdotes of our school days in the Indian hill station of Mussoorie. We sit on a roadside milestone sipping flasks full of juice. He recites a poem from memory. We admire the spring flowers. We crane our ears to hear the birds sing. We chase the odd butterfly’s flight with our eyes. We wave to the walkers and other cyclists in the distance. We laugh our hearts out. We reach out and touch each other often. The bond with nature, and between ourselves, becomes all-pervasive. We take a U-turn. Cycle back home, shaking hands, smiling, faces glowing in joy, hearts aflutter, soul dancing.
We bid adieu. Slink away to our private worlds, to catch up on missed WhatsApp, etc., chats while we were away. Mobiles and technology have once again made us slaves. I lie in bed that night. Star gazing. Life needs the mobile and technology today to live, to survive, to be part of the world order … yet … there is a life without mobiles and technology waiting for the real heart and soul in us, yearning to break free. I promise to keep it alive, for a part of each day.
by Col Anil Alagh (HNo M-115, 9312247284)
