PADMA PATIL talks about how things have changed in the last few years and the way this change is perceived by different generations
It’s a no brainer that the only thing that is constant is change. With time, people changes and so does countries. Even India has changed for that matter. But this change is perceived differently by different generations. For some, it is good while for others it is as bad as can be.
Padma Patil, a retired school teacher and a senior citizen, tells you how our country has changed in the last few decades. “India has changed in many aspects from lifestyle to cities and from clothing to communication. This shows how people are trying to adapt to the new technology. However, while doing this they are gradually forgetting their roots and somtimes history too,” she says.
Earlier people used to live a simple life. Everything from their clothes to their lifestyle was normal. But now, with time, people believe in showing off their expensive clothes and accessories from luxurious brands. “They all live a fake lifestyle; they do things for others not for themselves or for their satisfaction. This speaks of how people are more concerned about what others think of them. Their focus is to look fashionable, while humanity in between this is taking a back seat. However, on the contrary, earlier people lived for themselves and to the fullest, while at the same time also caring for others’ opinions,” Patil opines.
Not to mention, the cities have also changed in terms of infrastructure. Earlier there used to be few houses and more open grounds. “Car was considered a luxury back then and only one out of 10 people owned a car. While today, multistory buildings have taken over the open grounds. This results in cluttering places and leaving no space for children to play at all. This leaves them with no option but to take to playing on roads. And this comes with a risk of accidents. Also, there are uncountable number of cars on the road which create unnecessary traffic thereby increasing the travel time for even nearby places. This amount of load definitely affects our planet in some or the other way,” she says.
Even relationships have gone for a toss. Back then, there were small houses with big families and everyone lived happily, but nowadays the concept of nuclear families have taken over.
“People prefer to live away from their parents and in some cases they are not happy from their partners as well,” Patil explains.
Climate change is one of the major changes that the older generation has seen in the last few years. “In our times, like I said before, there were absolutely no cars on roads and more number of trees. Hence, the air quality was extremely good, but now due to air pollution, climate change has become frequent and bad. This is not only harming our health, but also harming our planet,” she says.
