Go West

Cyber cafes, pool dens, entertainment centres, pizza parlours are mushrooming in the city like there's no tomorrow. And more and more you...

Cyber cafes, pool dens, entertainment centres, pizza parlours are mushrooming in the city like there8217;s no tomorrow. And more and more youngsters are frequenting these happening8217; places. Don8217;t believe me? Just take a look around and you8217;ll see what I mean. Going to the movies, hanging out at the katta, curling up in bed with a mystery novel, blissfully whiling away your time at a friend8217;s place doing absolutely nothing, are terribly passe. Try suggesting something like this to kids these days, and in all probability, the looks you8217;ll get will send you back to the Stone Age, where they think you belong!

Now don8217;t get me wrong, I am not against these pastimes imported from across the seven seas. I just can8217;t help wondering where do these college-going kids get all that moolah from? I mean entertainment isn8217;t exactly cheap in this day.

Says Swati Awasthi, a Fergusson college student, 8220;I feel like there8217;s something missing from my life if I don8217;t go to TDS at least twice every week, I mean I just have to.8221; Okay, but what about the cover charges? Can you afford to go there so often? we ask her. 8220;Oh, that8217;s no problem. My pocket money helps. Besides, most of the times, the guys pay,8221; she says matter-of-factly. Well, good for you, Swati. Perhaps you can try going dutch for a change. With Mayur Tolani, it8217;s just a case of 8220;I-go-coz-my-friends-do.8221; 8220;I got nothing better to do, so I just hang out with them,8221; he says. Sanjay Murthy, a hostelite in Symbiosis on the other hand, is a self-confessed pool addict. He admits to spending at least three to four hours at a pool den every day without fail, which amounts to a minimum of Rs 200 a day. Where does he get the money from? 8220;My dad keeps sending me money. And since it8217;s no good to anybody if it just sits in the bank, I spend it!8221; Haven8217;t you heard of interest, Sanjay?

Nandan Pillai, a student of Wadia college agrees wholeheartedly. 8220;I don8217;t shoot pool so often. I enjoy the video games, especially racing, a lot more. And I feel it8217;s money well spent. I mean, what good is money if you cannot use it for something you enjoy?8221; he asks with the worldly wisdom of a 17-year-old.

It is go-karting that Sucheta Mohan spends most of her time and money on. 8220;It8217;s so thrilling,8221; she squeals. Junaid Siddique, a Commerce student of Symbiosis, shares Sucheta8217;s enthusiasm for go-karting. 8220;I make it a point to go go-karting at least thrice a week. His younger brother, Akhtar, though, prefers to surf the net at the local net cafe. 8220;I just visit some of the web sites that my friends tell me are popular .8221;

8220;If I spend a single Saturday at home, I literally feel sick. Saturday8217;s are for pubbing, period,8221; opines Lorraine Thomas of Wadia college. A lot of teenagers in aamche Pune seem to be 8220;with it,8221; for lack of a better expression. Whether it8217;s bowling, pub-hopping or go-karting, more and more youngsters are increasingly spending their time and their parents8217; money on entertainment. And most of them do not find anything wrong or feel guilty about spending money that they haven8217;t earned. Their argument is 8211; they are giving us the money and they know what we are spending it on, so what8217;s the harm?

You have to admit that it does make a lot of sense. But if you ask me, the sights and sounds of a good film are any day preferable to the screeching tyres at the video game parlour. Can one even begin to compare the yelling-above-the-loud music at the pub to the casual banter and tranquil sharing of feelings at a friend8217;s place? Making sense is one thing and being sensible, that8217;s quite a different ball game altogether. Major lecture-baazi this? Maybe, but sometimes the old ways are the best, what say?