(26 Nov ’08)
Last week, Mr. Nandy
wrote in the Times of India about how he believes that drugs, alcohol shouldn’t
be banned, that children shouldn’t be told not to experiment, that how his own
father came to know of his taking drugs when he (Pritish) confessed to him
(father) that he’d given them up….when he was in the tenth standard. He doesn’t
like the idea of the State playing Big Daddy, telling citizens what to do…you
get the trend. He also wrote that much of the world’s music and literature was
created by people who did drugs. Well, be that as it may, it’s a possibility
that they were a minority.
I know many people
right here in Goa who believe that adults must never be ‘monitored’, for they are mature and can look after
themselves, that every and any rule is stupid and meant to be broken, that all
government agencies/officials are cretins. Well, here’s my reply to him and
those who believe that discipline of any sort is outdated and uncalled for:
“Dear Mr. Nandy (and others who think like you),
You did speak my
mind in your article, took the words right out of my mouth. I, too, can’t
understand why anyone should forbid anyone from doing anything at all. Why
can’t we drive on pavements and over pedestrians. Am sure if someone bangs a
nasty dent into your car you wouldn’t mind, just a prank that the naughty
driver will grow out of one day. It’s not habit forming after all is it, this
bad driving/parking? In fact, I don’t even believe in having licences. For the
same reason that I don’t believe in having exams. Or curriculi, syllabi or
schools.
The use of drugs, alcohol, smoking,
are definitely adult, personal choices. As you’ve mentioned, people have
actually written outstanding literature under their influence. Tell you the
truth, I believe India’s a treasure-house of geniuses…specially Mumbai’s
streets. They’re full of adolescents just bursting with brilliant ideas.
Unfortunately, they can’t afford their next shot and the withdrawal symptoms
prevent them from putting thoughts to paper. Encouraging citizens like you must
support their cause. It’s so sad that a couple of them die without writing down
their magnum opuses. You see, they don’t wait to grow out of their ‘choices’,
they just die. Very inconsiderate of them, doing that before writing those
fantastic books.
I really loved your article, Mr.
Nandy, because you presented a point of view that’s different from the others.
Oh yes, I believe children should be allowed to experiment and learn for
themselves. Give them a library and they will get educated. Give them charas,
ganja, heroin, cocktails, and the right atmosphere and one fine day they’ll
stop it on their own. As for those psychiatrists, cops and other
torture-masters, creeps, what do they know about life, eh? Have they ever
experimented with drugs? How’d they know about childhood? Are they mature
adults? What do they know about passing fads and growing out of them? What’s
their exposure to life? Limited! As for teenagers, experimentation is part of
life, of nature. Curiosity takes people places. Give an adolescent a rope, a
fan and let him/her experiment with what suicide feels like. Encourage new
fads. They’ll learn on their own. ..and if they don’t….well, at least we adults
will have the comfort of knowing we gave them full freedom.
What say? You agree??
Warms regards.”
I belong to the breed that believes
that disciplined children grow up to be disciplined adults, that if
spoon-feeding is one extreme, then being bohemian is the other, and that
moderation needs to be practiced in the growing years. I also believe that we’re
an undisciplined lot, we Indians, and many of our children have been spoilt
because the rod was spared. Would love to get a debate started on this. Any
takers?
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