5th session of ‘Common Interest Conversations’ calls for meaningful action against digital overconsumption
SRINAGAR: Continuing the program of ‘Common Interest Conversations’ on the topic of digital addiction, the Managing Committee of Amar Singh Club, Srinagar held 5th Session on Thursday, the 27th of February, 2025.
The interaction was presided over by Mr Mohammed Ashraf Mir and other prominent participants included Mr Mohammad Amin Kathwari, Mr M Afzal Abdullah, Mr Akib Chaya, Mr Sheikh Manzoor, Mr Manzoor Pakhtoon, Mr Babur Chowdhary, Mr Ashfaq Siddique Dug, Dr Tariq Trumboo, Mr Manveet Singh Oberoi, Mr Kaiser Kawoosa, Mr Shiekh Basharat, Dr Raja Muzzafer Bhat, Mr Tahir Peerzada, Mr Kamil Fayaz, Mr Ishfaq Siraj, Mr Fayaz Azad, Mr Sheikh Imran, Mr Farhat Koul and Managing Committee Members Mr Rauf A Punjabi, Er M S Sethi and Mr Parvez Fazili.
Nasir Hamid Khan, Secretary of Amar Singh Club, Srinagar welcomed the participants and informed them that the previous four sessions of the conversation had been to understand the problem of digital overconsumption and it’s negative impacts. The participants shared their views and suggestions.
Nasir Hamid Khan said that illustrious minds of the society including Dr Sushil Razdan, Dr Kaiser Ahmad, Dr Mustaq Margoob, Prof Shakil A Romshoo, Mr Zaffar Shah, and many others had participated in the earlier sessions and shared their views and opinions regarding the management of this invisible pandemic.
He informed the participants that although digital devices had engaged and distracted the minds of all age groups, their irreversible impact on the minds of children during the formative years of their personalities was perhaps the most dangerous and alarming feature of the discussions. Ask a child today what he wants to become in his life and most of them are clueless. They suffer from anger management issues, anxiety, confusion, depression and there are not only structural changes to their brains but also toxic pollution of their moral beliefs and value systems. A sad, confused, isolated and angry generation was silently crying out loud to be extracted from this virtual world to the real world.
He said that inculcating the belief in them that they possess the capacity to make choices, the ability to stand up and look challenges in the eye is critically important. Our primary objective should be to prepare them to face life challenges, in whatever form they may come, not only with fearless confidence but with dazzling brilliance. Our vision is that Kashmir’s children – our boys & girls – should not wait for life to throw challenges at them but instead, with a smile on their lips – they should be hunting for life challenges. They need to understand that although life is beautiful at the same time it can be extremely brutal. They need to understand that growth comes from pain, progress happens when we ask ourselves: Is this the best we can do, and transformation happens only when we have the courage to question the why of what we do and how we do it.
Only we possess the power to enable our children to develop into the best version of their personalities. But “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander”. Our children are but a reflection of ourselves and in order to change them, we needed to first change ourselves; we need to change our thought processes; we need to change our lifestyles; we need to change how we function as a family unit and as a society, which was easier said than done. It called for commitment on a level never seen before in our society.
Nasir Hamid Khan said that it was now time to move into the second stage of meaningful action and it gave him great pleasure to announce that a science based positive community intervention titled “The Cashmere Recuperation” had now been formulated. Recuperation meant recovery from illness or exertion and he said that we believe that this intervention would go a long way in shielding our children from the harmful impact of digital overconsumption and weaning them towards healthy and enriching use of technology.
The Cashmere Recuperation comprised of several different segments and competitions like public speaking, painting, chess, physical challenges, performing arts and other challenges. Participants had been categorized is 5 age groups starting from the age of 3 years to 25 years.
The public speaking segment was open for all children of Kashmir, whether a student of an elite private school or an unschooled child. They have the freedom to speak in whatever language they are comfortable in, including Kashmiri. There was a separate segment for Neurodivergent Children. Neurodivergent was a new umbrella term which covers autism, ADHD, learning disorders like dyslexia, dyscalculia etc and also includes those who have delayed development.
The prizes besides huge cash awards, include being crowned the Techno-Sentient Prince or Princess of Cashmere, a beautiful trophy and certificate, loads of gifts, shopping vouchers, and may include an all expenses paid night stay in star hotels of Kashmir for the winner and their immediate family unit. If a girl wins the public speaking challenge, the cash award doubles.
The topics for public speaking and debates were different for all age groups and aimed at inculcating a deeper understanding about the icons of Kashmir, the environmental impact of online shopping, the manipulation of minds through social media apps and other relevant subjects.
Participants appreciated the efforts of the Managing Committee of Amar Singh Club in formulating “The Cashmere Recuperation” and offered their full support to the intervention which was the need of the hour.