1.
All of a sudden, power goes off
All of a sudden, all signals stop;
All communications cut off
All transactions suddenly drop;
No phone-calls, no messages, no
T.V.s
No whirring sound of gadgets, no
movies.
2. The whole city submerged in darkness,
dark as hell
Every dwelling became a prison-cell;
The whole town plunged into pell-mell;
No technology showed its magic
spell;
How many days people stay without
illumination?
Like cave-men searching for light in
a den.
3. People forgot their basic skills and
needs;
They solely relied on machines and
tools
To get their work done with
effortless speed;
Now no more can they enjoy and be
cool;
Dire necessity drove them crazy and
mad
They searched for candles with heavy
feelings sad.
4. They came out of their narrow
suffocating cells
To breathe fresh air and view the
wondrous sight
Of myriad stars shining like candles
at night;
They felt the touch of fresh, cool
air and felt so well
They fell into deep slumber and
forgot their strain
The touch of Nature rejuvenated
their spirits again.
5. Till now, heads down and glued
to their lifeless tools
Silent and stiff-lipped they lost
their natural ways
Of communion with others for so many
days;
Little they felt their feelings and
slogged like fools;
They enslaved themselves and lost their talents;
Depending on machines, too many hours they spent.
6. Their voices felt free to exchange their thoughts;
Of their feelings with friends and
their neighbours;
They searched for apt phrases with
earnest hearts;
They felt a new sense of freedom,
mingling with others;
A new change in their outlook in
intimate touch;
Can machines better and foster their bonds so much?
7. With Keen perception surroundings they did
behold
No sense of haste, no machine-driven
speed;
At their own pace they worked with no
sense of greed;
They found a sense of freedom form
routine-hold;
Uncluttered by too many facts they
tried to revive
Their latent skills in order to
survive.
8. A short break from their dreary routine
Gave them respite to see neighbouring
sights;
Never they felt so happy in watching
fields and farms;
Each tree and bush seemed so
uncommonly serene;
A sense of kinship with Nature unaware
they found
Free from deafening city’s blaring
sounds.
9. Unguided by too many technical tools
A fresh vision they acquired from
restful ease;
In simple living they found true
contented peace;
No more bothered by hurried crushing
schedule;
Their dormant creative springs with
instinctive insights
Made them sing and dance with enthusiastic delight.
10. Their feelings rose with a fresh lease of
life
Their hidden hopes enlivened with new,
rising dawn.
Like flying birds or sprouting buds on
the lawn.
No more they felt restrained by rushing strife.
They felt the inner pulse and stood on their feet again.
They need not compete now for luxuries vain.
11. Too much dependence on machines will drain
Our inner skills dry up and will rust
Sheer sloth and craze for luxuries and
lust
Make us exhausted with stress and
strain;
Systems may be perfect but sometimes
crack
Robots may be perfect but sometimes
rebel and attack.
12. Be one with Nature and protect Her ever
Machines, monstrous powers, keep them
under control.
Be not a slave to them; never lose your
soul.
With heartless machines destroy not Nature, never.
Feel like a human being with blood and
flesh.
Don’t get stuck up like a fly in
mechanical mesh.
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Somaseshu Gutala
This poem is not a tirade against machines and gadgets. Really, technology is an indispensable part of modern man's life. But in his craze for machines and technology and to make his life more comfortable and indolent, man should not become a slave to machines and technology and lose his self-thinking, creativity, traditional and moral values. Materialism and machines enslave man and kill man's humane qualities and empathy. Man should use his wisdom and sense of discrimination to make use of technology within limits and be on his guard to see that machines and technology should not snatch away his creative qualities and humane values. At the same time for every small thing, he should not take the help of machines. He should give priority to self-efforts and individual abilities. He should also think of employability of common people and should not use machines to take away their daily livelihood. Beware of machines and technology. Use them wisely within limits and don't waste your time at the expense of your precious God-given gifts. Do not make your children addicted to mobiles T.V.s and machines. Machines are created by creative intellect and original thinking, vision and imagination. If man gets addicted to machines, he will lose his creative intellect and originality. Then the progress of modern civilization will come to a dead end and progress will come to a dead stop.
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8th June, 2024 Somaseshu Gutala
