…Was driving on a ‘relatively less busy’ road, possibly attributed to the day when boys rather stay at home than risk being the prospective victims of girls’ sisterly aspirations!
My teenager nephew (cousin’s son) was sitting beside me, and when FM played the next song, I said ‘Wow’…! It was my favorite song from the movie Maine Pyaar Kiya! MPK heralded an era! When it released, I was on the verge of entering teens…So for us, it almost shaped our very idea of love!
To us, love was more of a noun than a verb…! It was still a larger-than-life phenomenon…inspiring a sense of awe! It wasn’t all platonic, but the notion of romance was surely less physical and more poetic! You would invariably ‘also respect’ the one you would love… As a result, the journey to closeness was innocent and dignified! In short, people were less in a hurry…
I said all this and then ended with saying… “You know…It was an era (although we are not that old) in which ‘when the hero would apply Iodex on heroine’s knee…he would keep his eyes closed’ (I was referring to a scene of MPK)”
He looked at me and said “Mama! Don’t mind! But I think you all were dumb…wasting time in unnecessary details!”
I said “But it was worth the wait!”
He said “And what if after all that wait, someone else would walk away with the girl!”
I spontaneously said “Then………we had another set of favorite songs for that situation!”
……He looked at me agape, and both of us burst into the loudest of laughs!!!
…………………….
The conversation taught both of us a lot…
Not just that ‘sensitivity is a function of time’ or ‘a generation gap does exist’ but that ‘the Best way to bridge such a gap is…to have a nice laugh!’ …not on the other person, or on yourself…but…on the Gap!
PS:I didn’t mean to generalize my notions for my whole generation! So, if anyone disagrees…I completely respect it!
About Sandeep Atre
Dr. Sandeep Atre:
• Counseling Psychologist and an internationally recognized ‘Emotional & Social Intelligence’ Expert, with experience of more than two decades in helping people ‘sort out’ and ‘excel in’ intrapersonal and interpersonal matters. He holds a PhD in Management and a Master’s degree in Psychology (www.dratrecounsels.com).
• Founder of Socialigence – a venture specializing in development of ‘Social & Emotional Intelligence’ and its offshoot interpersonal skills through workshops and an award-winning online course rooted in neuroscience and psychology (www.socialigence.net).
• Author of two books related to his domain, namely - “Understanding Emotions Logically” and “Observing Nonverbal Behavior”; and third book on various aspects of life, named “Two Paras of Everyday Wisdom”. Moreover, the collection of his Nazms and Ghazals is published as a book titled “Baat Jazbaat Ki”.
• Corporate Trainer, with experience of close to two decades. Has conducted 150+ workshops/sessions for 50+ organizations & institutions like CSC, Cummins, Piramal, Ranbaxy, Lupin, Bridgestone, Michelin, Eicher, Maruti, Force, Idea, Airtel, NBHC, SBI, HDFC, L&T, Zydus, Thapar University, Banasthali, Narsee Monjee, Symbiosis, IIFM Bhopal, Azim Premji University, Nirma, Welingkar & IBS Hyderabad.
• Co-Founder and Director of CH EdgeMakers – a leading ‘Coaching and Training’ organization of central India for more than 24 years. He has trained close to 100 thousand students for ‘Soft Skills’ & ‘Entrance & Recruitment Preparation’ (www.ch-india.com).
• ‘Management Speaker and Orator’. Has featured at platforms like TEDx, IIM, IIT, NIT, CII, YI, CII-IWN, TCS, IMA, ICAI, ECA, ISHRAE, NEN, Sahodaya, Aditya Birla Education Academy, Round Table, LinkedIn Local, Rotary International, MP State’s Teachers’ Training, Academic Staff College DAVV, Police University Rajasthan, Police Training Academy Indore & more than 100 institutions.
• Member of noted associations and boards. Has been an ‘Executive Committee’ member of Indore Management Association. Associate Editor of IMA publications. Governing Council Member of Banasthali University’s SBBJ Centre for Research in MSME & Promotion of Entrepreneurship in Women. Executive Member of IMS, DAVV Alumni Association. Member of Rotary International’s ‘Group Study Exchange’ team to Minnesota, USA. ESI Coach with FWSA Australia.
Note: For glimpses of work, watch YouTube Channel ‘Dr. Sandeep Atre at Socialigence’.
