More
than 30 years ago, I walked up proudly to a stage before a few thousand people
in the city of Ernakulam and received a prize, a good cash amount for a student in
those days, from Justice Subramanian Poti.
I had come first in an essay competition organised by the Corporation of
Cochin. It was Professor Primus
Perincheri, one of my Malayalam teachers in St Albert’s College, who urged me
to participate in the Malayalam essay writing competition. I had to write 2000 words on a topic that I
can’t now recall. “I’ll help you,” said
Prof Perincheri.
 |
| A moment with Justice Poti |
There
was no computer, internet and Google in 1983.
Being a member of the Ernakulam Public Library, I had access to the
reference section which possessed a fabulous collection of encyclopaedias and
other reference books as well as back issues of newspapers and
periodicals. I spent two entire days
collecting the material for the essay. I
wrote the rough draft of my essay which Prof Perincheri edited before I wrote
the final version.
Three
decades later, as a teacher of English when I give assignments to my students, what
I get is instant work copy-pasted from the internet via Google search and
printed out without even being subjected to some basic necessary editing. When I question the students on the material submitted
by them, I get the rude shock: they have not even bothered to read it.
What
has Google done to the world? I asked
the question to myself when I saw the latest discussion topic at an Indian bloggers’
community website.*
I
rely heavily on Google for a lot of information so much so Google is the home
page on every electronic gadget (four in number) I use. Google literally makes information available
at the fingertips. I don’t need
membership in any library anymore. The
arduous journey to the temple of wisdom is unnecessary. Google is my threshold to that temple
now. The temple travels with me wherever
I go. So life without Google (or any
such efficient search engine) would be unimaginable now!
But
I’m not sure whether Google and the internet are made proper use of by the
youngsters. Secondly, hasn’t the
internet with its bewitching accessories like chat-sites and social networks
undermined real relationships?
Two
years back, i.e., almost three decades after I had my last encounter with Prof
Perincheri, I spoke to him on phone. A
classmate of mine who visited me in Delhi from Ernakulam gave me the
professor’s number. I was reluctant to
make the call. I didn’t want to face the
possibility of having been forgotten by one of my favourite teachers. “He remembers you,” assured Joseph
Henry, my classmate who is now a Jesuit priest. I dialled the number reluctantly and was thrilled
beyond words when Prof Perincheri recognised me as soon as I mentioned my
name.
Such
surprises and excitements are sure to vanish from the world run by Google and
the internet. In the world of instant
links and instant clicks, the soul is left with a longing, a longing for a
stirring, a stirring somewhere deep, deep below the instant gratifications.
* Prompted by #worldwithoutgoogle of Indiblogger
Google is my home page as well. All your points about its misuse is valid. But as is the case, every coin has two sides. It depends on the use we put it to.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that Google is here to stay. :)
I do accept both sides of every coin :)
DeleteGoogle is a politician-cum-father and its upto us how we make use of his power.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations for winning the award in those days...!
ReplyDeleteMore than 70 percent of the internet is misused.
The most interesting thing, when I look back, is the award made little difference except to the professor perhaps. Life was very subdued in those days especially for people like me who didn't know how to use opportunities...
DeleteNot 70% ?
Rightly said.. Google is my homepage too but I agree with you regarding the abuse of it .. copy-paste is like a rot in thinking ability but children as well as their wards are actually proud of it !
ReplyDeletePS- I have to stare at the image for a good 7 to 8 minutes before believing it was you and not 'The Shashi Kapoor' accepting the award !!
A colleague of mine made a similar observation about the photo. How time changes us!
DeleteSure, Google has its advantages. But sometimes I think one of the main reasons for my terrible memory is Google! I don't feel the "need" to remember things and that's sad if you think about it!
ReplyDeleteWow, am I the odd one out here cos Google isn't my homepage.. :D
Technology has affected the younger generation in more ways than the memory. How many people bother to learn the mathematical tables, for example? How many can work out problems mentally? Mental agility is being lost due to over-dependence on the electronic gadgets.
DeleteDon't worry about being the odd one here. You belong to a generation apart :)
Beautiful write up....I agree with Preethi that every coin has two sides :)...Not only Google, but Whatsapp, Facebook too have positive and negative effects..... :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you here, Madhumita.
DeleteThe two sides are unavoidable. which side gets more chances in the flip is the question :)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTrue Google has brought temple of wisdom at our doors. No matter what topic I can always refer to Google and get some informative piece in just few secs. Moreover, since I stay miles away from my family the social media helps me to keep in touch with my near and dear ones without spending huge amount. Without these advancements life would not been so easy.
ReplyDeleteJust like said earlier every coin has two sides so its true if the same tools are not used appropriately they can hamper ones standards.
I think we shouldn't be surprised if the younger generation tends to use one side of the coin a bit too much. Weren't we like that when we were young?
Delete