UPON waking up early in the morning, I realised that I had put my phone on charge, but had forgotten to turn on the switch, resulting in a drained battery. I contemplated charging it at the office. As I walked through the apartment corridor, I noticed the walls had stains and were in dire need of a repaint.

The common washroom had foul odour. I observed our watchman asleep by the door without a mosquito net, leaving him vulnerable to mosquitoes. While crossing the road, I realised that elections were around the corner, as the road that had remained unrepaired for nearly five years, had been finally fixed, with a gate installed to reduce heavy traffic on the service road.

The nearby vegetable shop seemed to lack fresh produce, and at the pan shop, there were no smokers in sight, suggesting that cigarette prices had likely gone up. I noticed parents rushing to drop their children at school, while a traffic policeman was allowing almost everyone to break the law and drive on the wrong side.

The hotel that once used to be jam-packed in the mornings and was known for its delicious breakfast, only had a few customers. I also noticed that the temperature was quite high that day. When I arrived at the office, I located the charger for my cellphone, and, as notifications chimed together, I eagerly checked who had reacted to my posts and how. In plain words: I returned to ‘my world’. This is how all of us are avoiding things around us. We are the slave of our gadgets.

In the past, we would cherish life’s simple moments, embracing nature, traditions, and meaningful relation-ships. However, the present generation seems captivated by gadgets. The constant influx of information is eroding our sense of self and cultural identity. Even those of us who occasionally reminisce about the past find it challenging to escape the influence of this globalised society.

This shift in societal values and priorities has given rise to disconnect between generations. The wisdom and traditions passed down through centuries seem to be losing their significance, and the essence of what once held commu-nities together is fading away. It is as if we are witnessing the erosion of a larger, collective social identity, which is being replaced by a more fragmented and individualistic approach towards life.

Zaheer Udin Babar Junejo
Hyderabad

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2023