Songsoptok
TALKING WITH PRERNA
GENERATION GAP IN THE AGE OF
GLOBALISATION
SONGSOPTOK: To which
generation do you belong? To which generations do the members of your immediate
family belong?
PRERNA: Generation Y. My parents belong to generation “Baby
Boomers”.
SONGSOPTOK: In your
opinion, is generation gap a myth or a reality? How would you define generation
gap?
PRERNA: It varies from one family to the other and
largely depends on the family environment. If a family environment is flexible,
i.e. it adapts with the coming generation, the generation gap becomes a myth. But if the family environment is rigid, then
it is likely to give rise to a situation that we call a generation gap. For example, suppose you drive a car that does
not have power steering in it and after sometime you buy a car with a power
steering. If you do not adapt yourself according to the power steering, you
land into what is called as a generation gap. If you do adapt to the new
steering, the problem does not exist at all.
In my words, generation gap is the inability to adapt with
advancements which tends to give rise to inflexibility to thoughts, beliefs,
work system as well as way of living. This inflexibility when met with an
advanced state of environment often lead to disagreements between the former
and the later generations thus creating a gap between two generations and
forming a generation Gap.
SONGSOPTOK: Have you
personally had problems with your previous generations? In which domains
specifically? How did you react to it then?
PRERNA: Yes. I have had disagreements with the
generation of my Grandparents in the areas of basic living that concerns
belief, habits and even attire worn. They always preferred home cooked food,
Traditional Indian wear, and traditional Indian way of working as well as
living. I have not faced much of problems regarding generation gap because we
were living separately from our grandparents and my father has a liberal
thinking. We can wear whatever we are comfortable in, eat from outside, work as
we like and also live at our own ease.
SONGSOPTOK: Have you
ever heard “You won’t understand” from the next generation? Do you remember the
specific situations when you heard it? How do you react? And do you remember saying
the same words to your parents / elders? In what context?
PRERNA: Yes. When my father used to discuss work
with mother, we would ask what that was and he would reply “You won’t
understand. You are too small to understand things”… I would nod my head in
agreement. Gradually he would explain everything.
Yes. I told the same to my dad when the social networking
arrived and we were at it almost all day or can say, most of the day. But this
“You won’t understand” soon vanished coz my dad joined social networking as
well. So the Gap vanished with adaptability.
SONGSOPTOK: In a
globalized world all generations dress alike, eat alike, dream alike – is it
still possible for generation gap to exist? Or do the reasons for the famous
gap lie elsewhere?
PRERNA: As I said above, reason lies in rigidness
and failure to adapt even in a globalised world. One has to keep adapting and
evolving. If you adamantly stick to older beliefs, your kids or grand kids who
are born and raised in an advanced world, will naturally have the generation
gap, but if you adapt with the advancements, the gap will be lesser or even
vanished except in some cases where the notions or older ways do not change.
So, based on the same, yes! it is still possible for the gap to exist if the
older and the newer generations are not flexible enough.
SONGSOPTOK: Given
that in this age of connectivity, it is easier for parents or guardians to keep
connected with their children or wards (keep track of their activities through
Face book, Whatsap or whatever) – also make them aware of their own interests
and individualities - do you think “generation gap” still exists? If yes, why
do you feel so? If no, could you please share with our readers on the ways that
you remain connected and how does that help you overcome the gap.
PRERNA: Social media has both advantages and
disadvantages. It can serve as a means to connect as well as a means to spy.
First of all, if the bond of parents and child is close enough, they won’t
really need social media to connect if they are living under one roof.
Secondly, with every generation comes a drastic change. The kids of today’s
generation want to hang out with opposite sex in a much earlier age; so many of
them want to hangout in clubs, drink and smoke at a very small age. There are
increased levels of crime esp. crime against women and kids. The world is
becoming ambitious, the kids usually do not wish to follow the same steps as
parents w.r.t. career choices, love affairs etc.. These are some areas where
generation Gap can easily arise because these are the issues where Parents or
the former generation will usually keep the older approach while the later
generation would like to indulge in the changed trends.
In my family, we live
under the same roof, eat together on the same table and work at the same place.
The need for social network to connect with family never arises. Secondly, we
have reached a state of mind that I will call “Equilibrium between two
generations” where the former is not orthodox and later is not too liberal.
Everything else is adaptable and can be learnt as well as implemented.
SONGSOPTOK: What do
you think – is generation gap a gap between two individuals of different age
groups or is it really between two generations? In this context, what role can
the parents / elders play to bridge the gap if it exists?
PRERNA: In my opinion the gap exists in the two ways
of life, beliefs as well as living. Parents/ elders can bridge the gap by
adapting with advancements and efficiently educating the later generations to
adapt with theirs so as to reach the “equilibrium between two generations”.
SONGSOPTOK: Do you
ever face troubles created by generation gap outside your family? Especially in
office, educational institutions, market etc.? How do you react to that?
PRERNA: Yes. A lot. Sometimes by ignoring while
sometimes by a session of arguments and counter-arguments making them
understand my point of view.
SONGSOPTOK: We feel
that generation gap starts creeping in as we age – on one side we try to
acquire new things from changed times and on the other – we try to cling to our
own inheritances. Do you agree? What would be your advice on how one can
overcome this contradiction, if at all?
PRERNA: We
always need to be flexible and always need a self-education and self-motivation
at the same. If you do not try new ways of life, if you do not adapt, soon you
and your way of living will be outdated. Only those trees survive that are
flexible in the storms of life.
SONGSOPTOK: Please
leave some parting words for the next generation, your generation and the
previous generation that reflect your thoughts on this topic.
PRERNA: Trees that are rigid, are the first to fall
in the storm of life. Be flexible and adaptive and you have the key to
survival.
Dr.
PRERNA SINGLA, a Dental Surgeon, an Entrepreneur,
a Poly-linguistic Poet, writer, Editor, reviewer, songs & short-story writer, at present living in Gurgaon (Haryana,
India) and belongs to Aggarwal community.
She is the founder
& Editor-in-chief of Hall of Poets global poetic
community and Hall of Poets International ezine, KIBATEK Media Ambassador for
India, Editor-in-chief of Impact 005, 5th Winner of Poetry Champion of India
(2016), Reul Prize nominee (2016). She is the Author of “Crown of Sekhmet”,
Guest Author of “Reality of Spirituality in Kalyug, Chief Editor & Author of Amazon’s best
selling Anthology “Roses & Rhymes”,
Guest Author of Dad’s darling daughter. She has created self-styled
poetry named as "Trilocution verselets”, written series of flash fictions
“Everyday Life”, “Lonely times”, and “Sceptical Scalpel” and is working on
three fiction novels.
She has also co-authored, Co-edited many other anthologies, like,
Blessings, Beyond Love, A feeling called love, Dad’s darling daughter, Diary of
Unknown winter etc. She has been published extensively in anthologies, ezines,
newspapers and has judged various poetry contests. She has been interviewed by La
Tribuna in rete (News Dalla Valle – Santa Maria a Vico), Social Tahelka,
Dronacharya, Kashmir life and featured by Galaktika Poetike “Atunis”.
Apart from Poetry and writing her
interests include music, painting and arts, travelling, photography, dancing,
reading, interacting with people, learning new languages and other creative
skills. She can be reached at www.drprernasingla.com
We sincerely thank you
for your time and hope we shall have your continued support.
Aparajita
Sen
(Editor:
Songsoptok)
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