The other side of paradise!
While Jottings usually thrives on the lighthearted, this time, what this SJ member overheard , about how reels romanticise and paint an idealistic picture of Meghalaya, almost ignoring the dangers the hills can pose, simply can’t be ignored. A couple has gone missing, tragically, and suddenly, Meghalaya’s romanticised charm is under scrutiny. The state’s reputation, it seems, is hanging by a thread, tangled somewhere between treacherous terrain and Instagram travel guides.
A couple of advisories later, and we’re reminded yet again that while social media paints Meghalaya in 4K drone shots and misty reels, it often forgets the other side — landslides, flooding, and remote areas where help is hours away. As the state reels under heavy rain, lives are lost, homes disappear, and dreams get buried under mud. What was once poignantly mentioned in the award-winning film Parasite rings true here; somebody’s rain is somebody else’s ruin.
So, dear tourists and travel influencers, before turning these hills into your aesthetic backdrop, remember that the beauty here is raw, wild, and often unforgiving. A little respect and realism might go a longer way.
Because sometimes, even paradise bites back.
Generation Alpha
This SJ member has been eavesdropping a lot lately and this time it was about a Class 5 student making a Canva presentation on “Sustainable AI Models.” Meanwhile, this member was still wondering how to insert WordArt in PowerPoint 2010. Times, they are ‘truly’ a-changin’.
Which begs the question, will the next generation ever know life before ChatGPT, Instagram filters, or whatever replaces YouTube next? We, the great transitional generation, who once photocopied assignments and made 3D models with thermocol and now consult bots for advice, straddle two worlds. But these kids are born into WiFi and almost baptised by the blue light.
What happens if, one day, the CPUs melt, power grids collapse, and we all go back to candles and crayons? Will their cognitive skills stretch beyond charging cables?
And yet, somehow, there’s hope. We did survive Orkut. And the great Nokia fall-and-survive era. So maybe they’ll bounce back too ; build fires, grow vegetables, maybe even rediscover real conversations (without emojis).
And that, is evolution, probably where Darwin would drop his mic.