Generational Swing

Samuel Beckett’s one liner “The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new” sums up the repetitive nature of our existence. This is humorously rendered in Tamil which my great grandma repeated every morning on waking up:(“ Podhu vidinthuthu Narayana, pottukka venume Narayana” ) i. e “ Dawn has risen, Narayana, /Feed the stomach Narayana”  Nearly seventy years have rolled on since I heard my grandma’s wake up call.

But I was surprised and amused when I heard the wakeup call on my brother’s ringtone in USA singing “Dawn has risen Narayana, /Feed the cell, Narayana”. This marks the generational change occurring in seven decades.  I tried the Google search on Gen X, Y and Z to find out which pre-historic generation I came from. Gen X refers to the children of the ‘60s and ‘70s of the 20thcentury, known as the generation of ‘home computers’. Gen Y straddles between Gen X and Gen Z and belongs to those born in the ‘80s and ‘90s who witnessed the Internet growing and who saw the advent of liberality in politics. Gen Z is from the’90s till today wired to the internet, cell phone and its advanced version of I- phones. Even though these identities are uniquely urban and apply to those who are wired to the net, still the impact of generational changes is visible across all sections of society.

I belong to the pre-historic times before the advent of the above generational classifications. May be we can call it Gen S to indicate the World War II generation to be followed by Gen T and Gen W before we reach Gen X.  Our Gen S belongs to those times when the younger generation bowed before the wisdom of the older generation and had them as their role model and followed them in their footsteps. Financial security for the old age was the simple guiding principle of living and the need to scrimp and save and deny oneself small luxuries (like buying a toffee or having a second pair of slippers –rather scuffs because they had no fitting around the heel) was dinned into us from the time we stepped out of home. Not even half a centimeter of an old yellow coloured writing paper was wasted and every squeezable space there was used to write on. We did our Maths practice either on a slate or on the cement floor with bits of chalk picked up from the classroom.  Eating out was totally forbidden and one never complained about the same stale fare that was served every day. The exciting part of the day used to be when the man with a gramophone mounted on a cycle came up the streets to blare out old recorded film music or when the announcement was made on the streets about a film to be released in the dirty old dilapidated theatres to the beating of drums  and the squealing of urchins. We held on to the job that we were fortunate to get at that time and there was no question of giving it up even under the most trying circumstances. It was not a question of loyalty to the employer, but it was simply a case of bread and butter. The British rule was coming to an end and there was a sense of anticipation and excitement like a silver lining on the dark days of economic poverty, hunger and deprivation of the War years. We were Gandhians in every sense- willing to sacrifice for the cause of the nation, ready for self-denial and discovered the joy of bonding with fellow Indians. If Gandhi was the undisputable leader of the nation, the family accepted the leadership and guidance of grandparents and all other elders in the family.

              Gen T and Gen W were Midnight’s children inhaling the euphoria of India’s independence.  The ‘50s and ‘60s adapted well to new India and continued to shine in the borrowed feathers of Westminster model administration. There was certainly a surge towards everything Indian that had remained dormant during the Mughal rule and the British rule. The Indian renascence in arts, literature, dance and music was flowering and one could feel the bliss to be alive at the dawn of Independence. The South shot into prominence in the Civil services examination- a desi version of the earlier ICS and thanks to the liberal policy advocated by Pandit Nehru and  his distinguished cabinet of freedom fighters,  the British was generous to fund Indian students to study abroad and  acquire scholarship and knowledge that were denied to them till then. IITs produced outstanding engineering graduates and the universities had many distinguished scholars and professors to guide the youth of the country. If jobs were not that many, there was always the greener pastures in the West for the young people. As the country became Republic and Indian democracy took deep roots, government service was most sought after. People wanted government jobs which also meant security of service. There was no fear of dismissal or retrenchment and once in service, one could just move on till the age of retirement with no worries. Private jobs were not fancied and this resulted in inbreeding where the government employee worked hard to get his son/s in similar positions. Babudom became a strong force and corruption slowly made its inroads into government offices. Loyalty to the job was no longer there, but the employer-employee relationship underwent a change with the latter insisting on the employer (the government) to be a perennial supplier of doles. The new attitude was no giving, but only taking.  “No discipline, please, we are free Indians” became the new slogan as work, rules of conduct, self-denial and commitment were on the wane.  This was reflected at home where the authority of the elders came to be resented, though not defied. The middle class was slowly finding its niche in the society and though still a tradition bound society, it was moving towards modernity thanks to the exposure and education in the West. Women were also getting out in search of employment mainly as teachers and nurses-nevertheless the concept of double income started taking roots.

              GenX, Y, and Z are materially progressive generations. They are the children of the technological age that has reached its acme in the 21 ^st Century. The availability of technology has given rise to the insta-age where from instant coffee to instant contact to instant communication is the flavour of the times. Everything has to be had instantly. If radio in earlier times could be used only at home, we got the transistors that picked up music wherever they were placed.  Even the street hawker started having a transistor slung on his pushcart. Cassette players, tapes, CDs , DVDs, I-pads and I -phones have come in succession rendering obsolete all the earlier gadgets and increasing the desire for insta-music as one walked, drove, jogged, or worked. With the world going in for entertainment, entertainment and entertainment, there is no time for old world habit of visiting people or family get together. It is one mad party where no one listens to anyone and no one talks to anyone. Groove your time to the music and that is entertainment. Eliot said “A crowd is no company” and the modern generation does not know the meaning of company or companionship. I-me-myself is the only concept this generation venerates and the present craze for selfie posted on the FB is enough to satisfy one’s ego. The attitude to the family elders has undergone a colossal change. Elders do not count anymore. Short of putting them in ashcans and dustbins like the Beckettian characters, they do not exist for Gen Z. This Gen thinks it knows everything. It googles its way to knowledge. No need for teachers, mentors and oldies to give them experiential knowledge. “I know and therefore I am” is the new Cartesian mantra. In this changed scenario, where is loyalty towards any one or to any employer or even to a spouse? The Insta-love makes this generation fully satisfied if it moves from one job to another, from one live-in relationship to another. Money is there not to be saved but to be spent instantly and there is the supreme aggressive confidence that jobs and money can be had at any time.  This is the Kangaroo generation that hops jobs and spouses with as much ease as the kangaroo. So there is no loyalty towards the employer, no commitment to any organization one works in, no dedication to the job on hand, no obligation to the family(spouse). It is one speedy movement with the Olympian motto–Citius - Altius - Fortius. (Faster - Higher – Stronger). This generation has no time for anything other than moving and gyrating from one place to another. This is the generation that feeds on net surfing and has no time to read or even to think what the surf search has yielded. This is the post-Idea age when no new ideas are generated.  Gen Z seems to be moving as fast as  the world's largest particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider ; one hopes that the swing leads it not into extinction into a Black hole but towards a Big Bang to leap into a new generation in human history. The pendulum has swung far too far in the direction of personal interests. Will its elasticity hold to swing further up or will it reverse into my Generation S?