Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are of the author and does not reflect TheRelato’s. 

Thanks to the advent of technology, that has hijacked our minds, and controls our souls, we seem to have mechanized our lives no end and perennially live in a labyrinth of perplexities and paradoxes.

It goes without saying that technology is a definitive boon and has made lives easier. I wish to address the fact that we have lost ourselves in this maze of gadgets and gizmos. Irrespective of age, all of us are entrapped in the magical spell of a Digital universe – our days incomplete without a series of likes, shares, and follows.

A tête-à-tête over the coffee-table evoked this thought. In fact, thanks to my colleagues, who initiated the discussion. 

I am trying to think of the last time I read a book to beguile those tedious hours, looked ceaselessly at the fleeting clouds, enjoyed the gush of an entrancing melody, allowed a gusty breeze to blow my hair unheeded, laughed at a jovial insignificance, or came out with a mere figment of poetic fancy. Well, I am still thinking. Sadly, not in the last two decades!

We are so wired, so plugged all the time, we don’t find time to unwind, unwire or unplug. I recently attended a wedding ceremony, that gave me food for thought…

Reminiscing old times, marriage was fun – whether you were a part of it, or only attending it. It truly was the “band, bajaa, baraat” affair. A ritual worth watching, that has now gone even virtual It was a feast to the eye! Cleansed of self-interest, conjuring up the colorful kaleidoscope of the events, where people paraded with the stately procession, enjoyed the lavish spread, reveled at the beauty of the crimsoned bride blushing in pink. It was a fancy affair, with grandmas busy in their play of light gossip, parents busy as bumble bees, guests meeting and greeting one another after a long time, kids scampering here and there, the bride and the groom radiant with beautiful glamour of youth, coyly envisaging the path of their dream, fun and gaiety all around, imprisoned within an enchanted circle in gales of teasing merriment.

Now, it is such a serious affair. People throng just on time, eat but not relish the food, talk but not converse, relatives and guests give each other those baffled stares, in the breathless chase for a ‘know-not future’, a lavish waste of the spread before us – a magnanimous indifference to meticulous niceties, and a generous interest in capturing selfies – busy capturing moments, little realizing they’ll have not time to view them. Moments lived are much more precious than moments captured.

What happened to the sheer, exuberant, instinctive, unreasoning, careless joy of the yore? Now, the ecstasy and festivity, the grandeur and simplicity, paving way to vanity – Alas, no sublimity!

We are always in a pall of unrest, no more resting on past glories, never feeling content, in a quest for identity – on tenterhooks, day or night.

Night is a time that comes as a boon to gift ease to the toiling mind, but now we turn insomniacs, filled with thoughts and go around like zombies – this is torture of the most exquisite kind of bamboozlement leading to a perpetual gloom and seclusion of life, that is remorselessly swept into oblivion.

Ain’t it time for digital detox? A day without screens!

Time to embark on a Digital Sabbath – A Day of Unplugging.

Shut down all phones and screens once a week for 24 hours – No emails, no digital games, no Google, No WhatsApp, for 24 hours.Disconnect to reconnect.Let’s experiment this for one day at least and I am sure we would love the experience – of being close to nature, close to our loved ones, close to ourselves and close to our hearts.After all, “A poor life this if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare.” W.H. DaviesThe Digital Detox Challenge – game for it? Simply Unplug….

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