What exactly is modernization? I was a firm believer that young India is heading the right way because our ideas are modern. But when I took a step back and tried to analyze the present situation, I noticed that it is more of westernization than modernization! We Indians are known for our culture, our traditions, our languages and our spicy food. But these days in the name of modernization youngsters are driven by Western culture, their way of speaking and dressing. Western influence is running so high in India that everyone wants to eat pizzas, burgers and sandwiches and spicy house-made food is out of trend. This is ridiculous to say the least. I’m very clear with my thoughts here - I’m not against any culture but all that I’m concerned about is Indian culture which has a rich history of several centuries shouldn’t disappear forever.
Let’s now shift our focus on the other effects of the so-called “Modernization”. People often misunderstand modernization for taller buildings, more number of highways and luxury living. I do agree that modernization, as our oxford dictionary says, is ‘involving up-to-date techniques or equipment’. Have you seen the number of trees being cut down to construct a highway or these days metro? I remember when I came into this newly built house in 1999 there was just another house in the entire area. It was not a jungle but it seems it was an agricultural land some long time ago. I was a 3rd grader back then. I’ve seen many poisonous snakes, scorpions and what not! I would like to share an incident with you which happened some 8 years back. While I was watching t.v (I still remember it was a SRK movie that I was watching), my granny anxiously exclaimed – Don’t move!! I looked around and I spotted a long scorpion next to me on the sofa enjoying the movie may be. It may seem scary but I’ve been lucky enough to grow very close to Mother Nature. How cruel we human beings are! We encroach on their peace of land and complain about it later. Now just after 9 years there’s not a single scorpion or a snake that I’ve seen in the past 1 year or so. I also remember sparrows and minas chirping inside my house but now they have vanished. Gone are those wonderful days when I used to savour the sight of those lovely birds and animals.
Let’s hope for a better tomorrow or rather a GREENER TOMORROW and do our bit to SAVE EARTH!
