Evenings used to be so beautiful….Where has all the laughter gone?

I remember years back, much before the Multi-National Companies(MNCs) stepped in India, much before the Tutorials/ Coaching classes became ‘fashionable’, evenings used to be so much fun. 

People of all age used to eagerly await the arrival of the evening to hit the play grounds, the parks or just to meet friends and walk on the roads. The women folk could be seen sitting in groups, latest gossips/ ideas being exchanged in a friendly environment. The couple of hours spent in the evening with friends used to be the real stress busters. There were no day and night cricket matches, evenings used to be left free for the people to interact, to socialise. 

Where have those evenings gone? Where has that leisure vanished? I am afraid, the evenings are still there, people, the fun, the laughter has gone missing. The kids are tied up in the books, running from classrooms in the day to the tutorials/ coaching classes in the evenings. Much of youth/ middle age is spent behind the workstations trying to earn much more than what can be spent. Love, which used to bloom in the gardens, under the trees or by the lake side is now being exchanged through messages/ smileys online.  At homes , TV and cell phones have more or less taken over the space for meaningful conversations. Stress levels are going high with young kids suffering from high blood pressure, obesity, heart problems, diabetes and what not. Where are we headed for? 

People step out of the homes in the morning and step back in at night (a large number late night). It seems as if the evenings have ceased to exist. Fortunately, the evenings still exist, the beauty is still around in nature, waiting for the people to realise and enjoy. It is for us, the people, to slow down, to set our schedule right, get back the old routine, get back the laughter. 

We have all become part of the rat race, knowing fully well that the one who wins will still remain a rat. We have to get back our human senses, start being social. Use the evening to unwind, de-stress, spend time with family/ friends. Get the laughter back in the air.