Benign Acuity

Nowadays, there is a raft of video games to play on all the platforms, the conventional PC, gaming consoles and mobiles. Contrasting from the days when the games weren’t as immersive and detailed, to the incredibly realistic games now, there has also been a significant change in the way the games are perceived now. There was a time when people used to spend their time outdoors, involving themselves in sports and other activities, even just sitting outdoors embracing natural beauty. But, all this has been long lost, and most people now spend their time (not ‘work’ related) with their eyes gazing on the screens of their mobiles or their computers. But, change in the behaviour of people, with them spending more time alone with gadgets and the lacuna of spending time outdoors is an entirely different topic of discussion. And there have been numerous renditions in the form of movies, novels, etc, of what our lives may be in the future if this does not change. A still from the movie, ...

“First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out —  Because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out —  Because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out —  Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.”  - Martin Niemöller This poetic prose by Martin Niemöller, from the post-war Germany of 1946 is strikingly relevant to the current political scenario in India, but in a contrasting and ironic way. Today, amidst the Lok Sabha election in India, there are new developments every day that brings a National Party participating in the elections, either a step closer or away from being the most powerful party in the nation. With the voting for the Lok Sabha elections already underway since April 11, there is not much time left to the day when we will know who the new Prime Minister of our nation will be or if the political ‘reign’ of N...