THIS IS YOU…AND ME…WE ARE ALL A NEW SPECIES CALLED ‘MANDROIDS’

SANGEETA WADDHWANI SHOWCASES A WORK OF ART INSPIRED BY THE TOTAL IMMERSION OF MAN AND TECHNOLOGY

So one has seen how the digital universe has multiplied our connectivity. But it has also possibly taken away the beauty of the singular, in depth connect that past generations have known.

Relating through mostly WhatsApp texting has often mounted illusory filial ties for me. When a crisis hit me ..a double sprained ankle last monsoon…an aunt who every now and then professed to deeply love and care for me with unfailing regularity, and who lived a hop away, didn’t rush to take me to hospital because she had transportation problems. Possibly one of her two cars and drivers were not available. A friend who I called fetched me in a matter of 20 minutes and ensured I was looked after through the xrays etc.

WhatsApp relationships, YouTube videos, the neo-human impulse to document everything from human joys to tragedies because a camera empowers one to do so…And of course Twitter and Insta stardom…all this has changed us from Invisible to Visibles. From silent sentinels to life’s moments to active exaggerators of them.

Every technology has a spiritual underlying purpose. So does every profession. It’s what we do with our capability that can help the human race to evolve or sink deeper into the pursuit of wealth, physical pleasures, and more agents of Maya..the Hindu idea of illusion.

My latest painting, the MANDROID is a visual story at many levels. His eyes reflect his immersion in the mobile phone driven reality. Nonstop content flows through his every disconnected fragment,… mind and body. He feeds on data…And to make a clumsy pun, data is his Datta (Hindu word for GOD).

Does he need love? Tenderness? A hug? Not consciously. As long as the phone battery is charged, he is connected to so many at a time. But yes, unplug those eyes from his tightly held mobile and you will hear the silent scream of the MANDROID. Withdrawal. He can’t handle a non-interneted life. A simple two-dimensional world which demands that you pick up the phone to connect. In real time.

Technology allows editors to work in their home cities away from their offices and teams. It allows singers to record their part of a song recording and email it to a music producer. It allows a working mum…say a celebrity reality tv judge like Shilpa Shetty…to watch what her son is doing on her mobile phone via satellite camera set ups at home, while she is on a set..shooting.

Technology has liberated us spatially. But in our hearts of hearts, no matter how immersive the experiences we are offered, having that special someone hold your hand or whisper sweet nothings in your ear…those are the moments life leads you by it’s gentle hand. And creates memories where there would be but data.

Author: Sangeeta Wadhwani_editorspicks11

A lover of life, the written word, and people... not strictly in that order! Have been a writer since I could read and write, and followed through with a dazzling career in mainstream English celebrity and lifestyle journalism with top notch brands and author of four books - all on Amazon! View all posts by Sangeeta Wadhwani_editorspicks11