Surprises Galore In Twenty First Century

Received From B B Goyal Ludhiana on 26th September 2025 at 6:13 PM

Guest Article by *Prof PK Sharma

Ludhiana: 26th September 2025: (Media Link Ravinder//Punjab Screen Desk):: 

Brij Bhushan Goya is very known for his creative works, articles and reports etc. Today he sent an special article by *Prof PK Sharma.

Every era, time and century brims indeed with its own varied hues,innovations and distinctive contours."Change is the law of nature"is a time tested and popular saying,why not it be so with the present century too unfolding many of its queer surprises on the world scene in sharp comparison to the past ones?

Ruminating over the nuances of twenty first century, one stark reality of life haunts off and on that nothing is hard and fast in life.It reminds of William Shakespeare's famous play"Macbeth" in which at the very outset of the drama three witches chant,"Fair is foul and foul is fair" making it very candidly clear that words,concepts and definitions go on changing their connotations with the passage of time.In today's foxy a world, no one knows and is certain when "fair" turns "foul" and "foul" turns"fair"within the twinkling of an eye.

Never ever imagined that things will undergo bizarre an alteration in the present century so swiftly in all the four directions north,east,west and south of the globe.A bird's eye view ironically bears testimony to this fact that there are sharp contrasts and contradictions tangible on the today's world scene studying quite raptly the yore too.

First of all, the word DEMOCRACY comes to my mind.The famous quote of Abraham Lincoln erstwhile US President in his1863 Gettysburg address claimed it as"government of the people,by the people,for the people,shall not perish." Democracy in India drummed as the"mother of democracy" virtually is now "government of the few,by the few, for the few." The word people evaporates because of a yawning gap between the rich and the poor and inequalities unabated at various levels in "We the people of India...." pointing out evidently towards the same where A1 and A2 in terms of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in addition to the Supremo reign supreme,not at all the people of India. 

Democracy is treated these days so whimsically and instinctively in India as a fiefdom as the Lok Sabha has been pulling on sans the post of Deputy Speaker for the past over six years.Mr.Jagdeep Dhankhar Vice-President  of India-cum- Chairman Rajya Sabha on July,21 conducts too cheerfully the proceedings of the House of Elders on the opening day of Parliament's Monsoon session but by the evening either he quits his office mysteriously on health grounds in reality or made to do so  unceremoniously after completing half of his term deemed to be the blue eyed boy of "the powers that be".What a new norm of democracy did take everybody by surprise in June,2024 when the BJP's parliamentary party did not dare to convene a meeting to elect its leader in Lok Sabha but instead it was the National Democratic Alliance which completed this ritual of electing NDA leader to offer the Supremo a hassle free and safe passage to be sworn in for the third time as the Executive Head of the nation.Israel too is having democracy only in the name as PM Benjamin Netanyahu is calling the shots ruling the roost turning out to be a symbol of the devilish dance of destruction, devastation,displacement and death- only and ultimately the people and mankind the casualty.

An active journalist of more than four decades, journalism for me then in past century and now in the present one deserves deep peep into as well as a sharp analytical look.Journalism as I have comprehended so far, implies digging out truth but is it so in the letter and the spirit in India now?The spot reporting, human interest stories,first page editorials and exclusive symbolic photojournalism by and large seem to be the casualties, bidden a go bye these days also from the style sheet of journals and electronic media.The print and electronic press barring few exceptions have a penchant for concentrating and focussing unduly on the duo of ruling party "supremos" more, overlooking the opposition party bigwigs off and on.

The September 17 editions of various TV channels, English and Hindi dailies did abound with many birthday stories, ads and snaps of the supremo very unusually almost on most of the pages, making no photojournalism sense when nation on the whole had been passing through very odd, trying and tough times in wake of the fierce fury of floods in the states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Bihar,Jammu Kashmir and Haryana.On  keen observation,it was found that a reputed 150 year old English daily carried eleven photographs of the "supremo" in its 12 page edition on this particular day making a mockery of photo journalism. Quite often in routine too,some dailies display at least half a dozen snaps of the "supremo" offering too much space in one edition on a given single day whereas the enough space if so saved can be utilised optimally for either disseminating some other important information or more exclusive stories.

The "Number One"and "Number Two" of the nation still do not entertain any difference between the ruling party and opposition suffering from paradoxes in abundance though in the driving seat for more than eleven years. Both do not feel shy of blaming Congress for all the ills and blemishes in the nation to sustain in power for long.Recently in a poll rally in Purnia of Bihar, the Supremo made Congress Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal scapegoat for protecting the infiltrators in Bihar posing a grave threat to India on many accounts forgetting that it is PM and Home Minister's duty to arrest this problem staring the nation in the face as both are holding the reigns of power for more than eleven years .Come polls anywhere in the nation,far flung-futile issues never ever bothered or cared,are in the forefront and vogue  pressed as the poll campaign stuff to befool the masses !

The word "peace" too has assumed very startling semiotics in the present day world.Some of the five Veto Powers too have been resorting to amusing antics. The Russian President Vladimir Putin whose country is involved in long drawn a war with Ukraine strangely proposed himself for mediation of ceasefire between Israel and Palestine forces.US President Donald Trump has been yearning for Nobel Peace Prize on account of claiming time and again mediation in seven peace missions including the cease fire between Pakistan and India claimed almost forty five times but not dittoed by India, who at one time did not refrain from attacking Iran on one or the other pretext,then Russia and Ukraine stance too did not please Trump who did strive in vain to put a full stop to their war despite his repeated efforts in this regard.The big powers of the world wish to sell modern dreadful weapons of war just to the developing nations but at the same time yearn for Nobel Peace Prize decoration too,how paradoxical a wish !

All in all,the nineteenth and twentieth centuries did leave their remarkable as well dismal footprints on the sands of time but the twenty first century has so far been replete with its dreadful,awe-inspiring and traumatic times be it Gujarat Riots, Corona Catastrophe,Coup In Afghanistan,Change Of Guard In Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, Russia Ukraine War,Indo-Pakistan Conflicts on borders,Sino-Indian Skirmishes,Israel-Palestine  Tug of War Still In Progress, Manipur Mayhem With Climatic Dangers looming large playing havoc over the world scene.The world in the 20th Century becoming a global village owing to technological advances and revolution is standing on the brink of grave impending dangers and disasters swayed by hollow,petty egos and arrogant mindsets at the international level hence peace,amity and harmony alluding the world badly.

*Prof PK Sharma Freelance Journalist & Associate Professor of English(Retired) has been an alumnus of SCD Govt. College, Ludhiana