It is neither a case of vanity nor idleness, though I say so myself. I have been counselling people on almost every matter under the sun and giving encouragement and telling stories for well-nigh a quarter century, besides writing a considerable amount, both fiction and other stuff, and teaching all the time, with a short stint at journalism thrown in in between. Willy-nilly I have learnt a few interesting things about life and living, which I feel a never-ending urge to share with as many people as I can. Some of my ex-pupils, both young and not so young, have often expressed a wistfuless that they cannot keep in close and face-to-face contact any more; and disappointment that many of their friends have never had the chance to meet me and listen to me talk; some have even seen things I have written on the Net, and suggested that I start up a blog of my own. Hence this experiment. I would like my own old boys and girls to look up this site and post their comments and questions here first – then they might tell some friends to do the same. I have no desire whatever to impose myself as a fountain of wisdom upon the world: God knows there are too many like that around already, and I never thought that I was such a clever and profound person anyway. But it so happens that a very large number and variety of folks do keep looking me up and asking me about all sorts of things, from aeroplanes to love affairs, from literature to ecology, from health issues to career choices, so I thought that perhaps it mightn’t be a bad idea if I tried doing on the Net what I have naturally done for so many years with people face to face, so that my ‘net’ could be spread much wider, and a whole lot more people might derive the same kind of harmless enjoyment, if not benefit, that so many people close to me have done. Let’s see whether we can set a good thing going!
July 8, 2006
July 8, 2006
3 comments:
A blog is definitely a great idea to keep in touch with students all around the world..especially it would provide something like a discussion forum with comments being exchanged as well. When we came to college, all of us were interested in writing blogs (the interest originating after seeing the blogs of our seniors), but most of it was regular life..or describing something that we see around us in a readable way.
I guess you can encompass a variety of topics starting from stories, current affairs to serious topics of discussion and we can speak forth our minds on the same.
I agree with Ankanda! I mean many of us here are frequent bloggers, but then those are simply a few personal experiences which we want to share, or as in my case, write down our feelings when our mind gwts a bit too jumbled up.
But using these blogs as a means of sharing your knowledge and experiences with us, and as a forum for discussions, is indeed a great idea!
Dear Sir,
This was very prophetic in many ways. Empathy, which was never the strong suit of a majority of Indians, has receded a lot more as a character trait in recent years. The horrific crash and the death, dare I say murder, of a young man in the NCR is but one example of this. People gathered and clicked pictures and made videos but no one dared to help the poor chap. The administration, remnant of the British Raj with desi names, did nothing.
Another incident was about a college professor who was stabbed in Mumbai and made to sit(allegedly) while the authorities completed the formalities and procedures. He passed away, too.
One wouldn't have to look hard for such stories in the news papers. With phones this display of apathetic behaviour is also recorded and broadcasted. One would hope that it may have managed to knock some sense into the people. But that's not true sadly.
Most have forgotten what it feels like to be the other person. I shudder to think what we might become in the future as money gets into our heads and the nature of our society forces us indoors reducing human interaction to the minimum.
This is another thing I have noticed over social media. People are now betting about the military invasions, deaths, political results and everything under the dark desolate sky. Every event becomes a meme before it can become news. A spectacle to be witness and discarded. The trivialisation of serious things is leading to a generation that is divorced from the pain and trials that the next person goes through. I remember the story by Maupassant. But compared to what I witness today, on a regular basis, on the internet, those laughs by your ex students are completely benign.
I have given up hope and can only see people becoming more and more detached from each other.
Best Regards,
Aditya Mishra
P.S. It's not the only post that rings true today. I have come across many of your old writings that fit well into the world we live in now. And to think that this is just the beginning of Kali Yuga!
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