Meghdoot as messenger

AGKSPEAK

The Indian monsoon is a season of romance for good reason, and why today's youngsters are spoilt silly.

What I've liked
It must be coming down in sheets in Kerala even as you read this column. And judging by the new visit-Kerala campaign, the place must be choc-a-bloc with rain-drenched lovers nuzzling each other. What a refreshingly wonderful series of ads from God's Own Country "" yet again. The campaign has made a complete departure from colour soaked landscapes, replaced them with a cloudy grey series, and yet managed to make them pulsate with life. But I am most fascinated by the honeymooners ad. Simply because it occurred to me that it is probably the first time after a very, very long time that someone has made the connection between rain and romance in advertising. And the more I thought about it, the more I was surprised "" simply because our literature and even modern day entertainment are full of such imagery. From as way back in time as Kalidas' Meghdoot, till as recently as rain drenched couples strolling hand-in-hand singing love songs in almost all languages on the silver screen, it is a matter of common acceptance that a drenched India is a romantic India. In fact, India challenges the popular notion that spring is the universal season for love. Maybe in cooler climes, where "clouds" are synonymous with inclement weather and symbolic of bad portents, a clear blue sky comes as welcome relief. But for those of us in tropical zones not given to adopting cold-clime symbolism, clouds are signs to look up to in relief. They signify showers "" as sustaining life and the rhythm of nature's grand drama on planet earth. Any wonder that rains signal our season of love?

Why, at the first clap of thunder, even our national bird, the peacock, gets all resplendent hoping to get lucky with his peahen. The rhythmic pounding of the rain, the heart-stopping sight of a bolt of lighting searing the horizon, the shatter of thunder, all contribute to a season so dramatic that it wouldn't do it justice to be described as... "rain". With a background so wondrous, it's only natural for mere mortals to draw closer to each other. Yes, I totally agree with the headline. In the land of the monsoons, most of us wait for water to kindle our passions.

What I've learned
Initiative: life's critical survival trait.
As a columnist in two languages, I handle a steady volume of mail every week. A good proportion of the mails I receive are from young hopefuls who are pretty sure they have the next TV commercial for Coca-Cola, Pepsi and the like. So they write in, asking me what to do next, and I inform them that the advertising agency that handles the product would be better equipped to guide them. Then they send another mail asking me for the agency's phone number and person to contact!

The dictionary defines "spoon-feeding" as: "to treat (another) in a way that discourages independent thought or action, as by overindulgence". And there's one more: "to provide (another) with knowledge or information in an oversimplified way". Wouldn't you agree that the mails that I've described above are a classic illustration of young people demanding to be spoon-fed?

I see two clear reasons. The obvious one being overindulgent parents. And the second, a larger societal one: the flipside of the information age. Easy and instant access to almost everything under the sun right from a puja to a hard-to-access deity, to finding your life-partner at the click of a mouse, is steadily eroding a critical character trait called "initiative".

The good thing about the pre-IT age was that information, along with a whole lot of other things, was difficult to procure.

Yes, in hindsight, it does feel like a good thing because when the kids of the 1980s and even early 1990s (and earlier generations) wanted something really badly, their initiative kicked in. They didn't expect anything on tap, and were prepared for a struggle if necessary, until they got what they wanted. It was a potent combination of brain, wit, presence of mind, instant reflexes, intelligent deductions and consistent hard work that has got many of today's middle/senior management where they are. But with the spoon-feeding that kids of today get, they are ill-equipped to think on their own and find things for themselves. Unfortunately, the parental generation is mostly to blame. In a bid to smoothen the road ahead for their kids, they have just made it all the more tough for them. Maybe it's time to go back and start making life tougher for the next gen.

agkbrandconsult@yahoo.com