Word-1 'My brothers and sisters of America…my heart overflows with indescribable joy as I rise to thank you for the cordiality and affection with which you have welcomed us. I am proud to belong to a country which has sheltered the oppressed and the refugees of all the religions and countries of this earth…' Swami Vivekananda gave his speech at the Dharma Parishad held in Chicago in 1893 and was greeted with thunderous applause by all present. Instead of starting with fancy words like Ladies and Gentlemen… on American soil, let's start with simple words like Brothers and Sisters…! Swami Vivekananda gave such confidence to the youth of the country in 1893 and even today, when the confidence of the youth of the country is shaken, Swami Vivekananda's words, thoughts, speeches are smearing it. Even today the number of his followers in this country is in crores. Vata-2 A man in a turban among a crowd of suit-booted Britishers holds up the finger of non-violence and calls for freedom and the whole country follows that call…! Even at that time, this man in a cloak showed the country the path of non-violence and truth. You may accept or not accept that man's thoughts but you cannot ignore that man. Gandhi's thoughts still stand so quietly between your glasses and the sights you want to see. Even today the number of his followers in this country is in crores. Talk-3 Social media influencer Chahat Fateh Ali Khan is invited as the chief guest at a festival. 4 lakh rupees charge recovery Chahat Fateh Ali Khan when he reaches the stage, the whole crowd chants I…hai…oi…hoi… Whistles are heard. Applause erupts and lines begin to take selfies with Chahat Fateh Ali Khan. He has a total of millions of followers on social media. Vata-4 A girl named Khushi posts a reel on Instagram singing songs in a very unusual way. He has approximately 72.5 K followers on Instagram. Khushi is a social media influencer and is invited as the chief guest in small and large music concerts. Now to my point… Lately, people who make different gestures, wear different clothes and flail their limbs, clowns, dancers, jumpers, non-connected talkers, those who steal someone's writing from somewhere and post it in their name are all walking around with the tag of influencers. is Will our children follow such people? What will our children learn? What to do i…hi…oi…hoi? Acting on vulgar spousal jokes, acting as clowns, talking incoherently, dancing with limbs or taking off one's or another's reel? In which direction are we taking the future? I think – people who follow you are not your followers when you pull off stunts, become a joker, act on someone's dubbed dialogues or dance with a performance of limbs. Those people are spectators who watch the spectacle! Just like get up-wake up and keep going till the goal is achieved….Swami Vivekananda is remembered as soon as this is said, Gandhi ji is remembered for speaking the truth, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is remembered for every duty and Bhagat Singh is remembered for patriotism. Who will our children remember? To those who say I Hi…Oi Hoi, to those who move their lips on Jethabhai's dialogues and release reels, to those who sing like 'Mare Mithudi Haare Mana Se Se Bhavna Fera Paroha Hai'? The spectacle is not boring. A crowd can gather anywhere…even on the street and on Instagram. Also see a dancing girl balancing on a rope and see a monkey playing. It is not necessary that you become a follower of the one you flock to see, nor is it necessary that you influence the society due to your flocking. I clearly feel that it is time to teach our children the difference between viewers and followers. Explain to the children that it is possible to laugh at I…hai…oi…hoi, to put a new reel on the same music and words – but not to be like them. Every parent should tell their children that I will like it if the reach of your account increases, but increasing the reach of the account will decrease the reach of your life. Instagram can be followed with just one click, there is no such follow button in life. Great men were not created to pass the time by fooling around. Swami Vivekananda, Gandhiji, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Bhagat Singh, Amitabh Bachchan, Dhirubhai Ambani, Narendra Modi, Sachin Tendulkar, Nelson Mandela, Pablo Neruda, Ramesh Parekh, Kanti Madia, I Hi…Oi Hoi…, Mithudi Hare Bhavana Phera, Gorgeous Rekha, Beautiful Kanta, Ramesh Eve Heaven, Shanta It is your personal choice to decide who to follow in kitchen etc. But be careful about the icon of your children because an icon is something you want to be like, think like and live like. Not every viewer can become a follower and a follower is not a viewer!
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
