How India’s smartphone revolution is creating a new generation of readers and writers-Chiki Sarkar,TED review

You can view the original talk by clicking on the link, or visiting TED.Com

The Talk is titled “how India’s smartphone revolution is creating a New generation of readers and writers”, but on the contrary the most apt title for the talk would have been, “how India’s smartphone revolution is ruining the young minds”

India’s Background

Before we delve into the topic it is imperative for all to understand a brief history of India. India was considered the Jewel of the British crown, mainly for its rich resources and natural wealth.

For it was reported that when India secured its Independence, the famous saying, “The Jewel has departed from the British Crown”, featured predominantly on then dailies.

But after Independence, the Country was in shambles. For India did not have the able minds that the American founding fathers had, In fact it is the founding fathers to the leagues of Jeffersons and Ben Franklins, stood and guided America to the puffed up status that it enjoys now.

But for India, except for Mahatma Gandhi, Tilak, Rabindranath Tagore, and few others, the noble cause for Independence ended with the Country’s partition, that which still remains a thorn in the flesh.

Having said that, it is also worth mentioning that amidst great odds and challenges, India had in fact ascended to a status of Respect, Integrity and Honor amidst world powers. But the road is long and miles to travel.

There is also the other side of the picture, unemployment is soaring to the heights of unimaginable expanses, with basic infrastructure for amenities such as a decent toilets and clean drinking water have all become a luxury to the majority.

Where Doctoral candidates apply for menial jobs with the public sector, and children walk to schools, miles on bare foot and empty tummies.

With dwindling ground water in most Indian cities and with many predicting the similar fate of Cape Town, South Africa, lurking, the much important question to ask here would be, how the smartphone technology can make the lives of urban and rural India, better.

For Data plans and internet will not quench the child’s thirst or satiate its hunger.

Speaker’s Idiosyncrasies

The Speaker starts off with all confidence, at one point we thought every word would hit the nail on the head and drive home words of encouragement for the youths and visions for the society.

Instead, all we got to hear was an individual blowing her own horn as to how she was a Book worm all her life and then mentions how SAT books and other professional books are featuring amidst the best sellers list, instead of fictional works.

There are few things that ought to be clarified here. It is absolutely incorrect to say Indian don’t read. Because, that is what the Speaker is trying hard to portray.

For her first interaction with the audience is this, “how many of you have a book? and then makes a passing judgment that among the 20 odd professionals whom we suppose to be her colleagues, not one had a Book in their hands.

Would you believe the heights of Idiosyncrasies in the Speaker’s judgment, that in order to convince my reading habits to the Speaker, I should and must hold a book in my hands. Wake up! Chiki.

This is the day of Smartphones, but apparently you seemed to have forgotten your own talk title and is banking your judgment on an irrational premise. Just for information, a smartphone can house two huge libraries in its memory.

Professional guide books play an important part

The Speaker then again launches her bandwagon on self praise, telling the listener as to how great she felt by reading books in the magnitude of Harry Potter and the Da vinci code, and how most Indian best sellers were either a Professional guide or SAT text.

The question here to ask the Speaker is, “What is wrong if these are the books that most Indian find amusing?”

Most of the higher education applications would require a qualifying score either in SAT, GMAT, GRE, TOEFL, and not how well an individual read his or her Harry Potter or Da Vinci Code. So what is the Speaker trying to get at?

More so, the books mentioned by the Speaker are not books but work of fiction, while a book is one that impacts the lives of its readers and changes it for his or hers good. On the contrary not kill time.

The Speaker’s APP launch how it has helped many to stay and rot in Poverty

Time is the most priceless and precious commodity. Whether you like it or not, everyday, your bag is filled with 24 golden hours. With these hours, you can either make or break your life.

A good habit, consistently followed with dedication and sincerity is often sufficient enough to take you to the high places that you often dreamed off.

But apparently instead of using technology for bettering lives, the Speaker is proudly flaunting her efforts on how she had contributed towards assisting others in sleeping their woes off by reading nonchalant and scrupulous tales and fables on her APP. This is considered an Achievement and an Idea worth spreading?

In other words, spending time on APPs such as these dwindles the creativity of the reader drastically. When time is a precious commodity, with nothing extra available, it is imperative that technology is used and applied to make an impact in an individual’s life.

Life of Enterprise is Fun not having a Long day as a Receptionist at work

Here we see how the Speaker out rightly condemns Indians as to what she thinks is “Not reading for fun”. The Speaker then mentions the case of a receptionist, who had a long day in work and then books a cab, and then rests her head on the seat and then puts her APP on to read a story. Are you kidding Ms. Speaker?

A Receptionist, who has slogged for more than 9 hours and more so is now commuting back on Cab, which again would mean 2 hours of commute time and here you are, having the audacity to tell the listeners, that the minute she enters the Cab, she will put the APP on?

In all honesty, if technology of smartphones ought to find its effectiveness, then you as a Speaker you should innovate a way as to how a Receptionist, instead of spending all her life, answering calls and taking the abuses, should be empowered to change her life.

If someone were to really read or open an APP, during a Cab ride, then it would only mean a death knell ride

Let us examine and reflect for a minute. A young man or woman, who spends 60 minutes of commuting time vegetating on reading short stories and fictional works, is without doubt on a road whose destination is Poverty, Hardship and bonded labor.

Why? Because, 60 minutes, 6 days a week, for 52 weeks, would mean, 60 x 6 x 52 = 18720 minutes, which would be 312 hours, which would mean 39 working days in a year.

Imagine what would become of a person, if he or she, instead of indulging in life wasting habits such as reading short stories were to invest one whole month in personal development, what would become of him or her?

Of course, you might argue, what can 39 days do for me. But do you know that a mere 15 days of exercise can offset the damage done over a 50 year time period.

Good habits are live changing and there are formed, at one rep a time, one set a time, one exercise a time, one good lecture at a time, one good personal development habit at a time. No one can expect a mango trees tomorrow by merely planting a mango seed today.

What you Sow, you Reap

We wish to re-quote the proverb as, What you Read so shall you Reap.  The Speaker mentions that her APP has successfully brought Ms. Sunny Leone as a writer on board. This is laughable. You know why?

You[Speaker] start the talk portraying Books are critical life lines, then you[Speaker] gravitate to the point with an outright judgment that you are the only person who reads of the 1.6 billion or so living in India, and then for the betterment of your countrymen you had this vision to start an APP, promoting gays and lesbians and other unnatural forms of fictional content to be freely available to anybody and that to privately without the knowledge of Parents, which is deviously evil and in any other country this act of the yours is clearly deemed prosecutable on grounds  of making available contents that has the potential to destroy the culture of a city [Lucknow] and subsequently ruin the young generation.

Now coming back to the laughable part, the Speaker was all words for Ms. Sunny Leone. But for the benefit of our readers, Sunny Leone, was a porn star, of course there is nothing wrong in Sunny Leone becoming a author, for there is a saying that goes something like this, “nothing sells like sex”, so the underlying point of the Speaker and her intention is, place sensationalized content, and ruin the minds of the young, the old and the nation at large. We quote the words of Ben Franklin,

“A carnal mind, a wasted mind”

Concluding Remarks

The World today is more competitive than ever before. With AI and Robots taking most of the jobs, only strong will survive. Given the context of India, with so many young graduates aspiring to climb the economic ladder of Independence and success, it becomes imperative for Speakers to Motivate and encourage these young minds and thrust the importance of Time, Effort and Persistence but not Mislead them into oblivion Poverty and hardship.

After all, you are here for a brief time, so make the change and leave a legacy. Don’t fool around and lead astray the younger generation. Teach them hard work and patience, not promote Unnatural ways that is against every Culture that has lived before and more so no contradicts Biology.

In all honesty, the talk would have been useful, if the Speaker had followed the recommendations mentioned above. But instead, the platform was used to promote Self and only Self.