I am annoyed. And it is not easy to annoy me. I am sure there are millions, who like me, are facing a similar predicament. I am finding myself bulldozed into stupid, wasteful discussions, where one’s opinions or views are being sought! For over three decades, I had a simple defense, “I keep away from such issues. I am apolitical”. It would not just suffice, it would actually enhance my prestige. Here is a man, who stays focused on the most important things in life – studying, working, eating, partying and creating wealth – folks would say. Many would be green with envy. Much as they would try, the skill of being neutral, ambiguous, non-committal or preferably vague – is one that cannot be acquired easily even over a life time.
These classical skills honed over decades, are now under assault. From friends who seek opinions on issues of pre-historic insignificance. Was India’s fight for freedom a cleverly orchestrated charade? Was a temple judgment an unusual mix of reward and retribution? Does the caste system actually exist? Is the Constitution under threat? Will a particular state election determine the course of the country’s polity? Have you seen Vikas? When will Ache Din come? (that by the way is simple – never. Cause the King of Good Times left the country). There is a constant barrage. From those, who have acquired a hyperactive persona on WhatsApp. From those, who believe that everything they see on social media must be responded to and firmly dealt with. From those, who are always in an “alarmist” mode. From those with an undesirably heightened civic sense. From those with an unseemly desire to respond to “injustice”.
I have had to adopt some modern techniques to keep these folks at bay:
1.Exiting social media groups – yes this works. I usually say that I am taking a break, but I never return!
2.The clever ones find ways to bombard me with issues by reaching me directly. For them, I have an “auto-response vocabulary” that can be activated with simple clicks. One click gives “I see”. Two clicks yield “Interesting”, three “Wow!”, four “Boy, that’s unexpected!” and five “Jeez, that’s a lot of food for thought!”.
3.Yet, there are folks who are relentless. These folks are made of sterner stuff. They send me links to subjects I couldn’t care about and even provide a “reading list” to understand how, for instance, Mughals destroyed Hindustan! Or why India will flourish under a benevolent dictator.
Recently my daughter took a short break from her studies and came to visit me. I started to plan our holiday together – consulting my friends on contemporary restaurants, movies, music gigs, dance and theatre. As I proudly sent my proposed plan, with neatly laid out reviews, I received a chilling request from her “Let’s go to a protest site each day and understand the issues first hand. We will create posters and banners, reflecting our stand and show our solidarity to the cause!” Clearly, the “fence-sitter” gene had skipped a generation!
