Young, elderly and the numb lot

Are Pindiites going a little off-track? Yes, says the older generation. The cause of concern is the youth. And it is not the dangling boot-cut, or the over-exposed midriff that's bothering them. It's the growing insensitivity. Say the senior citizens, "The young have become materialistic, with an unabashed and blind admiration for the West."

With absolutely nothing to brood over and an on call ATM at home, these teenyboppers, meanwhile, are shooing off these concerns as baseless. Is there any base in such apprehensions or is it just an antediluvian mode of viewing a progressive society?

The senior citizens have lot to complain. Sheeba Mehdi, a housewife, has a list of complaints about her neighbour’s son. "Raja's son grew up in my hands. But now look at him. He would not even bother to greet me," says Sheeba.

Not all are in a mood for youth-bashing. Sixty-one-year-old Sadaf Naqvi sings praises for the younger generation. "Hardworking and open minded," that is what they are, she says.  “When we were young we were scared to be in the presence of our father and uncles. Children are very smart these days and wouldn't think twice before voicing their opinion," she adds.

Ghazal Abbas says: "I feel odd watching movies and TV commercials with my family. The new-age men and women would do anything for money.” “This is not how we want our future generation to be," she says in disgust.

Kokab Zehra, who spent her formative years in Canada, partially agrees with Ghazal. "They are very hardworking, ambitious and exposed to a lot of information," says Kokab. "But it's sad to see some of them getting carried away by the West. Our culture is very different and this kind of change is very hard to sink in. But it's also true that this is happening all over the world and there is nothing you can do about it," adds she.

Bano Hasnain, in her late 60s, brushes these concerns aside. She believes in "swimming with the tide." "I don't believe in generation gaps. I am young at heart and would like to be so," says Bano untangling her salt and peppered locks.

“What kind of feelings people have about them do not seem to jam the spirits of the teenagers. They swear by their attitude and the outfits they are comfortable in,” says Beenish Fatima.

Laila Rizvi has her parents to support her disposition. "I would wear any kind of dress I am comfortable in. I like to party and I don't have to seek society's will to do things I like to. Moreover I have understanding parents to support my attitude," says Laila, who, her friends say, would try out any attire that is selling hot in the fashion industry.

Twenty-year-old Munazza Jaffri would not hurt her parents to satisfy her style-equations. She says she has come to a consensus with her parents on these matters. "I would not go to that extent as to offend them and they have agreed upon not restricting me too much," says she. But when it comes to late night parties, Munazza says it's still a firm 'no' from her parents.

Just a handful may think like Munazza but the majority prefers to send shock waves to a generation that is still stuck in the mud. Like a young hopeful puts it, "It is this 'do or die' attitude that gets us going in an unreceptive society like ours."