In this age of social media that ensures access to fastest and most sophisticated communication network anywhere and everywhere, can we boast of being well connected. Here is a message for all of us:
Seeking clarification on jogajog (contact) and sanjog (connection) that a monk of Ramkrishna Mission had referred to in the course of his speech, a journalist told him, “It’s really confusing. Will you explain it to me?
Seemingly evading his query, the monk asked back if he was from Chile. The journalist nodded his head in affirmation. The monk further asked, “Who are there with him at his home?
Since the question was personal and unwarranted, it was obvious that the journalist got the impression that the monk was trying to evade his query. Nonetheless, he saw no reason to reply. He said, “My mother is no more. Father is there. We are three brothers and a sister, all married.”
The monk was cool with a broad nonchalant smile still on his face. He further inquired, “Do you talk to your father?”
At this the journalist was visibly annoyed as the monk shot another question: “When did you talk to him last?”
He replied suppressing his annoyance: “Maybe a month back.”
Not stopping at that, the monk asked him, “Do you brothers and sister meet often? When did you last spend time together as a family?”
The journalist was confused by these queries. By now he had no clue as to who is interviewing whom. He took a sigh before answering the monk. “Well, we met last on Christmas two years back.”
Before he could complete his answer the monk was ready with another question, “How many days you spent together? “
Wiping sweat from his forehead, the journo replied, “Three days…”
Thus, the monk kept on asking one question after another in quick succession. And the journalist, though was embarrassed, had no option but to reply each of the monk’s queries.
How much time you spent with your father sitting beside him?
Did you have breakfast, lunch or dinner together?
Did you ask how he is?
Did you ask how his days are passing after your mother’s death?
When he was done with his queries, the monk gently patted the journo before courteously asking him not to get upset over his queries. “I am sorry if I have hurt you unwittingly…” he said, adding, “I was just trying to answer your question. Hope you have got your answer as to what contact and connection (jogajog and sanjog) is all about.
The monk further said, “You of course have contact with your father, but sorry to tell you that you don’t have connection with him. You are not connected to him. Connection is by heart to heart… sitting together, sharing , caring , hugging each other, touching, shaking hands, eye contact, sharing food from same plate, spending little time together…all these come under connection.”
“You all brothers and sisters have contact with each other but there is no connection…” he concluded.
This is the reality of today’s relationship. Be it at home, in the society or anywhere, everybody has lots and lots of contact but no connection, no communication… Everybody is in virtual world in him or herself, but in reality each one of us is alone.
There was a time while travelling in a train, bus or flight everyone used to smile at each other, spoke to each other animatedly, sharing each other’s joy and anxieties in a short journey. Some used to become friends, while others used to be uncles and aunties for life…
Now, as we travel by train or by flight, we keep to ourselves maintaining an inexplicable silence as if we have entered a cemetery… No one disturbs other for any reason. All are busy with their mobiles or laptop. The tik… tik… tik … sound that emanates from these gadgets matches only with falling dry leaves in cemetery. Everybody is in constant touch with whole world but knows none of his/her fellow travelers.
Let’s not be just well contacted, but well connected, well communicated by caring, sharing, touch, hug and spending time together.
Jogajog (Contact), Sanjog (Connection), Monk,
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The opinion expressed in the article is of the writer. Writer is a freelance journalist/journalist based in Delhi
