Songsoptok
TALKING WITH PULKIT
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?
PULKIT: well! I belong to the generation Y and my family belongs to the
generation baby boomers, which is but natural I guess.
SONGSOPTOK: In your opinion,
is generation gap a myth or a reality? How would you define generation gap?
PULKIT: Generation gap is as real as the existence of humans on this
earth and frankly speaking the gap is established because of the different era
, upbringing and circumstances one faces in his/her time and generation gap is
not a bad thing in my opinion. It’s just a matter of different ideologies which
are influenced by the time and demand in both generations.
SONGSOPTOK: Have you
personally had problems with your previous generations? In which domains
specifically? How did you react to it then?
PULKIT: It is obvious to see and face problems because the guardians
belong to different generation influenced by different circumstances and
challenges and I belong to present generation which is again different and
distinctive in many aspects from the previous generation. The previous
generation which basically comprises of the parents, grandparents and ancestors
will dominate as they have seen a lot of things in the time of little resources
and today’s generation is still new to experiment issues of life. Now talking
about my reaction towards it, it’s not possible for any person of present
generation to be completely satisfied with the thinking of the ancestors because
today’s life is very different from the previous times that our elders lived in
but there still are many things, ways and beliefs from previous generations
that can help us stand in the society today. Those ways are never outdated.
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?
PULKIT: I haven’t heard it, I have actually done it. I myself have said
this statement many a times to my parents and relatives and it’s just a matter
of thoughts and opinion and every generation has a different perspective
towards different issue or even in common choices.. For example: parents always
insist on eating more as they are concerned about our health and the most
common way parents express their love is by over feeding but for today’s
generation eating less food and more supplements/body sculpting steroids is the
common choice because today having a belly is no more considered a sign of
richness or health while having a set of packs with minimum body fat is more
preferred over the basic health made by ghee and butter. Hence, a generation
gap is natural in such a scenario.
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?
PULKIT: Even in the globalized world, things are always different from
generation to generation and the reason behind this is the difference in the
matter of inventions and urbanization. For Eg. In one era computers were a
common thing but the next generation enjoyed laptops... at a global level both
the generations were technologically advanced but the level of advancement
varied and that difference created
difference in broad mindedness and other thinking perspectives mainly in the
manner of work which directly or indirectly influenced personal life. Like
earlier, if you don’t save your document and electricity goes off, you will
lose everything you typed. But now, even if the system shuts off due to any
reason, the draft is auto-saved. Same is
with life. There are things like dressing, eating, dreaming that are more or
less same, but with time and advancement, things shift, perspectives
shift. I remember a small rhyme my
grandpa used to chant: “kheloge koodoge hoge kharaab, padhoge likhoge banoge
nawab.”, emphasizing on studies being the only way by which you can attain big
hights. But now a days the trends reverse, in games like cricket, Tennis… where
even games can take you to great heights, so the older chant does not fit the
criteria to attain great heights, but yes it is still important today. So, even
thought the two generations do hold studies to be important, but in success it
is not the only important thing anymore.
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.
PULKIT: Connectivity is not the answer to the issue of generation gap.
Connectivity is just a matter of advancement to be aware about each other and
also to know the things that children usually do not convey, like a liking
towards someone. Even in previous times, parents used to travel a long way to
visit their children at schools and would even send someone to know the current
status of their children, so connectivity was also present at that time but in
a different manner. Today as that concern has taken a technical shape in
whatsapp or facebook or any other social means, it is mostly used by the
parents to track the activities of children but on the other hand are also the
apps that enable you to hide your activity from your parents.
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?
PULKIT: It is certainly a gap between two generations and the reason
behind that is a man who has enjoyed and lived in both previous times and today’s
life style will easily accommodate with a young boy who is learning to live in
this world. Parents can play a major role in killing the generation gap and
that can only be done by understanding both the sides of the coin and it’s not
always one sided , it’s a mutual effort which should be carried by children as
well.
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?
PULKIT: It is but obvious to face troubles as you will find many people
from older generation working on administrative and public posts and their way
of working will reflect their ideology ... one can only make them understand if
they think that they are wrong in some way because at one time their ideologies
were right and now they may seem outdated. It is not always possible to
consider them wrong because everyone can be right at some point of time.
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?
PULKIT: As we grow older we tend to see life from a different perspective
no matter how much urbanized we are and the reason behind that is the changing
time and circumstances that affect the mindset of every generation in some
point of time.
SONGSOPTOK: Please leave
some parting words for the next generation, your generation and the previous
generation that reflect your thoughts on this topic.
PULKIT: The next generation will be high-tech enough to operate the
things which we dream of and our today’s high tech gadgets will be obsolete for
them, I only want to tell them one thing and that is: ‘we still have something to
offer and that is experience.’ Our present generation should do what I have
advised to the next generation and that is learn from your elders as they have
something precious to offer.
PULKIT
MOHAN SINGLA is a
masters in Interior designing & event management. He is a writer, artist,
builder, event planner and soon to be a lawyer.
Pulkit is
the owner of Hall of Poets global poetic community
and Hall of Poets International ezine, Design director of Impact 005. He is the
Author of “Reality of Spirituality in Kalyug”, “Reality of Sex World”, “Décor
ideas by Pulkit Mohan Singla” and “Extra-ordinary Living room designs”. He has recently finished two books, one on
relationships and another a fiction and is soon to release “Reality of
Spirituality in Kalyug -2”. Pulkit also writes blogs on social issues and his
website is among very frequently visited websites. More than 1,00,000 downloads
on his book “Reality of sex world” granted him the status of a cyber celebrity.
He has also
co-authored, Co-edited many other anthologies, like, Roses & Rhymes,
Blessings, A feeling called love, Diary of Unknown winter etc. and has judged
various poetry contests. He has also donated his art for many social causes.
Apart from writing & Poetry, he is a jolly guy who loves what he does and
does what he loves. He believes in respecting every creature of this world as
everyone has a right to freedom. Live and let live policy is always his motto.
Website: www.pulkitmohansingla.com
Email: singla52@gmail.com
We sincerely thank you
for your time and hope we shall have your continued support.
Aparajita
Sen
(Editor:
Songsoptok)
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