Fast food culture is not a recent development. We have seen it earlier also, and should have expected the present state of affairs to arrive a lot earlier.
When instant noodles came, our definition of a breakfast and snack changed. We, as children, grew more and more impatient with the slow process that our mothers followed to cook and feed us. Continue reading
You might have seen people working in offices while playing music with/without earphones, sometimes playing games and watching movies as well. Agreed, working for 9-10 hours at a stretch is too demanding, even with the lunch and tea breaks, and occasional gossips and chats with fellow workers. However, just for a change, had they turned few pages of a magazine, newspaper, a story book, they could have possibly learned something, or at least indulged in pleasure in a healthy way. The best and most healthy break is to take a short walk outdoors in free air, or a short talk with coworkers. Continue reading
I will tell you one story.
The narrative is neither similar to that of Upanishadic tales, nor to Puranic stories. I do not have any authentic credits to make, nor do I know the origin of this story. It is very popular in U.P. I assume that it could be called a folk tale.
It happened like this: Continue reading
One can take it for granted that one can own technology, but may not possess the manners demanded from the use of it. The etiquette of it. They may own gadgets, but may not be aware of the do’s and don’ts that come with it. It could be mobile phone, or other gadgets. And it is the mobile phone where it is the most evident. Continue reading
मुझे याद है दूरदर्शन पर दिखाया गया वह नाटक। जी नहीं, सीरियल नहीं, नाटक। पूर्ण कथानक तो ठीक से याद नहीं, किन्तु कुछ अंशों की धुंधली-सी स्मृति आज भी है।
एक गाँव में एक बुढिया रहती थी। काफी मिलनसार और व्यवहार कुशल। गाँव के सभी तीज-त्यौहार, समारोह, अनुष्ठानों में बढ-चढकर भाग लेती थी। चूँकि वह सबसे वरिष्ठा थी, इसीलिए उसी के सुझाव और संकेत सर्वोपरि माने जाते थे। इस पर उसे गर्व था। Continue reading
Hope your Valentine’s Day went nice. It is a good respite in otherwise unpleasant times. In spite of all suggestions to the contrary, humanity has never given up on love — using the word in the most general sense and not confining to the physical world. Hence we see it being kept alive through movies, novels, songs, political speeches . . . Continue reading
A young boy of about 16 years of age, whispers to a young girl of nearly the same age:
— जरा-सा सिर आगे कीजिए, बस-बस, इतना ही। तो किस क्लास में पहुँच गए जनाब?
हर शहर-देहात की तरह हमारे कस्बे में भी नाई की कई दुकानें थीं। मंसूर मियाँ उनमें से एक थे। यदि यह नाम आपके सम्मुख एक टूटा-फूटा चेहरा, हलकी दाढी, सफेद कुर्ता-पाजामा लाता है, तो आप गलत समझ रहे हैं। असल में 30-35 वर्ष का युवा कितना सुदर्शन हो सकता है, मंसूर मियाँ इसकी मिसाल थे — स्वस्थ गठा हुआ शरीर, हमेशा सीधे तनकर खडा हुआ, कमीज पैण्ट के अंदर खोंस कर पहनी हुई, बाल सलीके से काढे हुए, दिन के किसी भी समय चेहरे पर आलस्य का नाम नहीं। Continue reading
Pradyot 