“You know your Lakshmanrekha. Don’t cross it.”

Err, Mom. Where exactly are the boundaries again? Spell it out, will you?

Any Indian (Hindu) woman growing up will attest to being subjected to this refrain. The meaning of the Lakshmanrekha, of course, depended on how “liberal” one’s parents were. It could mean anything from not talking to a guy, to PDAs, to indulging in sexual activities, to taking drugs, to… anything that symbolised that a nice Indian girl was going out of control. For some reason, the rekha, or line, is mostly seen in the context of interactions with the opposite sex, and usually applies exclusively to women. None of my guy friends have even heard of this rekha business.

Yesterday at lunch, Ma was grandly telling me, “Sure, date. Just don’t cross the rekha.”

“What is the rekha? What is it that you don’t want me to do?”

“You know…”

“Umm… no, I don’t.”

“Well, you should.”

See what I mean? The actual boundaries are never spelt out. I mean, honestly, where does the damn thing begin and end? The ambiguity of the rekha is rather baffling.

I think the trouble started when a bunch of men decided to come up with the ‘Ramayan’ (Yes, I believe it’s a myth. They call it Hindu mythology for a reason.) that spelt out ambiguous rules and regulations to oversee the Indian Hindu women’s behaviour towards the opposite sex.

[Insert Indian accent]

Man 1: We must do something to protect our women’s chastity.

Man 2: You are absolutely right!

Man 3: Our women must be under our control!

Je-sus.

Think about it. Lakshman, Sita’s brother-in-law, draws this protective rekha (a boundary, if you will) around her to protect her from the lustful nazar (or, eyes) of unknown men (Raavan, in Sita’s case). Not only is it a warning to young women about the consequences of defying the rekha (I mean, poor chick gets kidnapped, then disowned despite proving her chastity through fire acrobatics… twice, and that too in a pregnant state!), but the rekha itself symbolises the many boundaries imposed upon female sexuality even as a woman is growing up.

In my case, the meaning of rekha or the allusion to the sacred line drawn by Lakshman to protect Sita, kept changing as I grew older. In fact, even as recently as 2007, I was not allowed to stay out all night. Even though it was on New Year’s, I remember cabbing it back from Niagara Falls all alone on the last night of the year back to my suburban home, just because staying out all night would be tantamount to crossing the rekha. And yet, I have spent a crazy bachelorette party at the same Falls in 2010, doing things that would have certainly fallen outside the sacred line. Irony ahoy!

I think parents forget that just like boys, girls will be girls. Seriously, now. Do you think we do not get up to mischief? That we do not cross the goddamn rekha that you have not specified for us? You are wrong. We do. All the time. We are just too damn clever about hiding it.

But why should we go undercover? Why pretend? Why is it such a taboo to flaunt our sexuality? Why can’t I kiss that boy openly if I like him enough to? Does that make me a slut? A whore? Such tired comparisons. Why can’t I be compared to a classy courtesan for a change? Or one of those talented geishas? Hats off to those women for owning their sexuality.

So when my dad said, “We should not have to spell out your boundaries for you. You should know them by now,” I said, “If I can face myself in the mirror unflinchingly and without shame, I have no one else to answer to.”

I draw my own rekha. Lakshman can keep his.

By Sanchari Sur

http://sursanchari.wordpress.com

Established in 1977, the Peel Multicultural Council (PMC) is an umbrella organization that provides services to immigrants in the Peel region. The organization helps newcomers to Canada with settlement, education, employment and other services. Generation Next recently spoke to Jagdeep Kailey, who manages some of these services to learn more about how PMC works with immigrants.

With settlement workers speaking an array of languages, including Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, Spanish, and Chinese, PMC can reach out to a wide section of the immigrant community. According to Mr. Kailey, the biggest help many immigrants need with regard to finding gainful employment in Canada is proficiency in English. To fulfill this need, PMC, like other settlement organizations provide free English Language Training classes from Level 1 to 6. For those who already have sufficient English proficiency, the organization has a pre-employment program called the Job Search Workshop.

Most people opting for language training are from the South Asian community—of Indian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan origin. Mr. Kailey informs that a sizeable number also comes from the Columbian, Chinese and Arabic communities.

Newcomers to Canada often have to deal with the coveted “Canadian experience”, acquiring which isn’t the easiest. To this end, PCM offers a six-week, in-class Enhanced Language Training program. Although this is a language training, it is sector-specific, which, apart from providing knowledge on the Canadian labour market, resumes, networking and potential employers, this program has job placement coordinators who work with the clients even as they are in the classroom. These coordinators also take the responsibility of talking to employers on their behalf and arrange co-op placements for the potential employees in different companies. The bulk of professionals seeking PCM’s help for employment are engineers, customer service professionals, and IT people.

The one grievance Mr. Kailey has from big corporate employers is their reluctance to reach out to new Canadians. As he mentions, 50 percent of the population in Peel region consists of people born outside Canada. It is only natural to expect this block to be a major part of the workforce. “When employers think of quality human resource, they need to look at what is available in the market,” says Mr. Kailey. He feels a need for big employers organize information sessions about their companies. This can aid hundreds of interested people learn the inner dynamics of how companies work. Given that such companies spend fortunes to attract the best talents, these talents shouldn’t be wasted on the streets of Mississauga. That’s because in the end, settlement agencies can play only a limited role.

One aspect that causes frustration to a lot of newcomers is the bureaucracy involved in the processes followed by settlement agencies. Mr. Kailey concedes that there is a lot of paperwork involved in the process of settling down a newcomer, but maintains that some of that is necessary.

As long as a new immigrant benefits from an agency like PMC though, he or she wouldn’t feel too bad about the paperwork, one presumes.

By Bhaswati Ghosh

It does not take much convincing to admit that a much-needed makeover was well overdue at the Community Living South Centre (CLYS).  With its dull and often quoted “depressing” grey walls that greeted members and volunteers on a daily basis, it was not long before enough was enough for a few individuals to gather together and work on a plan for change.

Partnering with such groups as the Canadian ReDesigners Association and General Paint, the small group of volunteers proudly wore their hearts on their sleeves as they painted late into the night on a chilly Friday evening. With the paint brushes in their hands, and even in their hair, it was easy to see the passion in the eyes of these individuals in their efforts to generate a vibrant atmosphere for the programs frequently held at the centre for individuals with intellectual challenges.

The vision of the non-profit organization is to enhance the quality of life for individuals with intellectual challenges. It was a project that many connected to the organization felt was not only a pleasant treat for members, but a necessary goal to achieve their vision. With many of the volunteers also being parents of these individuals who attend the special programs held, it was a project they were eager to participate with as a way of giving back to the same centre that has provided valuable programs for their loved ones.

As the revamping process has only begun its Phase One, volunteers continue on knowing that they have only just begun to scratch the surface. Yet with this in mind, it is the optimism that remains inspirational as they march forward with the strong belief that the end result for their loved ones will be well worth the effort.

The Central West Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) is not a household name that many west end residents are generally familiar with. Yet, it has become a name that many of these residents unknowingly rely upon when using many of the health care services available to them. LHIN has played a crucial role in the decision-making process for allocating the appropriate funding to many local health care services that we see today such as the three new community health care centres (CHC) in Bramalea, Malton and Jamestown, and the three nursing care centres in Brampton, Etobicoke and Orangeville.

Central West LHIN has taken on new efforts to convey their interest on building upon the groundwork they’ve established within the west end by tackling areas they feel could greatly be improved upon.

One particular commitment made by LHIN to media members present, was to improve ER wait times through an after hours clinic at Osler and creating a Pediatric assessment zone and Cardiac assessment zone available to patients. Other strategies include providing care and support at home for individuals who might otherwise be at the hospital.

As ER wait times has often become a hot topic for residents in the west end, these promises provide hope for residents that LHIN has heard their pleas and dedicated funds to help improve this issue.

As LHIN members relayed their efforts to support the redevelopment of the Peel Memorial Hospital as a centre for Integrated Health and Wellness, LHIN also reiterated their commitment to tackle issues of Diabetes as well. With hopes that opening up a new centre for Complex Diabetes Care at the Brampton Civic Hospital will provide greater accessibility to treatment, LHIN conveys their optimism and hope that these new initiatives will deliver on what they promise.

Mimi Lowi-Young, CEO of the Central West LHIN and main speaker at the roundtable meeting explains to Generation Next how these initiatives will be met.  “Our mandate is to plan, fund and integrate hospitals, long term care homes and centres, community mental health and addictions services. We have an agreement with each of the organizations. They have to deliver a set of services within a budget.” As these budgets allocated are closely monitored by LHIN, many initiatives set to take place in the upcoming years are given high expectations – expectations which LHIN believes can easily be met.

- L-R: Branch Manager Fahd Amin, RBC Regional President Jennifer Tory, Toronto City Councillor Doug Ford, MPP Shafiq Qaadri (Etobicoke North) with his kids and RBC Regional Vice President Kellie Sauriol.

RBC’s branch at 600 Queen’s Plate Drive was formally launched on Saturday November 19^th. The branch will service the community in more than 14 languages. Fahd Amin is the Branch Manager of RBC for this location. Ms. Jennifer Tory, Regional President of RBC, GTA and Ms. Kellie Sauriol, Regional Vice President of RBC GTA were present on the occasion. The ribbon cutting was also attended by MPP Shafiq Qaadri from Etobicoke North and Toronto City Councillor Doug Ford.

L-R: Fahd Amin, RBC Branch Manager at The Queen’s Plate Drive, Etobicoke with Kellie Sauriol, Regional Vice President of RBC

“The thing that makes RBC different and special are our people, our employees and the passion that our employees have for proving advice to our clients to put them in a better place financially,” Kellie Sauriol, Regional Vice President of RBC.

“It’s [the idea of interest free banking] very new to RBC, and we’re working to develop a deeper understanding of it prior to making any type of business decisions,” Kellie Sauriol, Regional Vice President of RBC

Fahd Amin’s family moved westward from their Pakistan home in 2003. That was the year when the SARS epidemic had spread across many countries in Asia, Fahd recalls. Personally, Fahd was seeking a better lifestyle, a brighter future for himself and his family.

Back in Pakistan, he was a fighter pilot—a result of his passion and thrill. Once in Canada, he had to look for an alternate career. He started his banking career in 2007. In just over four years’ time, he is already a branch manager of one of the branches of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) located on 600 Queen’s Plate Drive in Etobicoke.  Generation Next chats up with him and gets the bonus opportunity to talk to Kellie Sauriol, Regional Vice President of RBC.

Although he didn’t have any formal education in banking, the profession came easily to Fahd.

“As fighter pilots, we’re called general duty pilots. We are not just flying the jets, but we do everything on the ground as well, be it administrative, payroll, financial stuff, we would take care of that. That gave me a lot of backing,” he informs.

Added to that was the business background of his parents, which meant constant interactions with banks and bankers. That is not to say that this young professional was without his share of teething troubles as a newcomer. At the same time, he remains appreciative of the processes and services offered by the Canadian government, which, he feels helped him reach his present position.

Notwithstanding all the help and support he received, it also took some personal drive and passion for Fahd to achieve success within a short span of time. He explains, “There are no Points for Second position .To me, my strategy has always been that you have to be in the number one position. As fighter pilots, we would always say that there can only be one winner. Going up there in the air, only one will survive. So it is survival of the fittest.” Kellie chimes in, “Fahd and I have worked together for several years, even when he was the account manager for business and personal. But you know his point is a good one, I’ve been with RBC for a number of years and my experience has also been that it’s very much a partnership. So Fahd is a great example of someone who worked extremely hard and earns the opportunities he’s been given.”

Generation Next is curious to learn RBC’s engagement with the community it serves.

Kellie says that RBC has always been a community supporter and corporate donor. She adds, “We are one of Canada’s largest employers and largest donors so being part of the community in the form of employee outreach in communities has been something that is just part of who we are.” In 2010, the bank invested more than $56.6 million with charities in hundreds of communities worldwide. $45.1 million of this was directed to organizations in Canada.

We are informed that the branch at The Queensplate Drive was opened “to meet the specific needs of this community…” And so far, she is happy with the response. “We definitely have a significant number of South Asian clients in this community and this branch. But I would say that we also experience that across the broader Toronto region. We get the opportunity to work in a really diverse community,” she says.

Humber College is a few blocks away from the branch. Almost 35 per cent of Humber College’s students are South Asians. The bank also welcomes student customers and even helps international students to build credit. Depending on each student’s situation, RBC helps develop student financing packages (student loans, credit cards) that can assist international students with their studies in Canada.

Also, a few blocks away is Etobicoke General Hospital. RBC recently hosted a “hoof-a- thon” in order to raise money for the Etobicoke General Hospital. RBC’s employees and their families had joined hands to walk around the Woodbine Race track in an effort to raise money for the hospital and the community.

With a view to particularly cater to the South Asian community and to raise awareness about various products and services offered by RBC, the branch hosts monthly seminars. “Last month, we held a seminar for helping small business owners start up their business. We would hold a workshop right here and integrate those people with other professionals in the community so that they can help them grow as well,” Fahd says. He talks about new immigrants from South Asia who often stay with friends or family and are, at times, unacquainted with how things like mortgage work in Canada. For people like these, the branch plans to host a seminar on first-time home buyers.

Kellie tells Generation Next’s readers that RBC welcomes suggestions and opinions from clients on which products and services they would like to know more about.

Small businesses are of special interest to the South Asian community. More so in today’s job-parched market. Does RBC have any specific schemes or policies to help new South Asian immigrants set up businesses in Canada? In response to this question, Kellie mentions RBC’s Welcome to Canada banking package for both business owners and personal clients. This particular offer includes access to special banking packages, an RBC credit card, an RBC deposit box and preferred pricing so as to make it attractive to newcomers. The bank also offers a full range of packages to business owners.

Kellie presents an optimistic picture regarding the use of banking technology by South Asians. “One third of our South Asian clients tell us that if they could do all their business online, they would do that,” she says.

To foster diversity within the bank environment, the branch has fourteen different languages spoken, ranging from Punjabi to Hindi and even Tanzanian.

There are Muslim members in the community who prefer interest-free banking to regular banking. We are curious to know if RBC has any solutions for them. Kellie evinces her own interest in this area and says RBC intends to explore it over the next year.

“It’s [the idea of interest free banking] very new to RBC, and we’re working to develop a deeper understanding of it prior to making any type of business decisions,” she says.

From Kellie we also learn about the South Asian community’s growing knowledge of financial institutions, reflected in their acquiring full suites of products, including RRSPs, RESPs and tax-free savings accounts.

RBC has also been sponsoring cricket in schools around the GTA. Kellie explains that while this is a step in promoting a healthier lifestyle, the bank also realizes the significance of this sport for certain communities like South Asians. RBC recently made a $25,000 donation towards a new cricket pitch.

So what differentiates RBC from its competitors?

The Vice President of RBC is thrilled to say “The thing that makes RBC different and special are our people, our employees and the passion that our employees have for proving advice to our clients to put them in a better place financially.”

By Asma Amanat

The issue of mental health is rarely discussed in the South Asian community. The moment someone talks about mental health, the word “PAGAL”, meaning insane or crazy usually comes to play. But, people with mental health issues are not crazy. For most such patients, the journey is long and painful—one that ends at the gate of “stigma”.

At Punjabi Community Health Services (PCHS), we see more than seventy clients every year, who suffer from one or multiple forms of mental health issues. Some of the mental health illnesses include depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorders, concurrent disorders and psychosis to name a few.

The following are some of our lessons from our experiences with people affected by mental health issues:

1. They and their families are in denial that they have mental health problems.
2. They refuse to follow prescribed medicine regimens. They are prone to increasing or decreasing or even not take medication, based on their mood. This can result in a return of symptoms and necessitate hospitalization.
3. Often the parents or caregivers believe that the patient is “faking”, “lazy”, and needs to “pull up his/her socks.”
4. Because of their denial, caregivers continue to have the same kind of expectations of mentally ill people as they would have of normal people. Teens who are depressed are still expected to get an “A”, and women who suffer from post-partum depression are expected to get up and cook breakfast for the entire family.
5. Mental health illnesses are kept “hidden” in the family. PCHS has numerous marital cases where the mental illness was not disclosed to the partner. The partner only found out the seriousness of the illness when the illness becomes serious.
6. PCHS has also found that “astrologers” make a huge amount of money, “treating” mental health illnesses. While these astrologers may not be able to make anyone better, they sure do become rich in the process.

What needs to be done?

In order for us to make any progress, we have to do the following:

1. Educate the community about mental illnesses.
2. Many mental illnesses can be cured and many more can be adequately managed.
3. Medication and counseling together can comprise an effective treatment regimen for mental illness.
4. If you suspect an individual’s behaviour to be “abnormal”, it is advised to check with your family doctor, and subsequently a psychiatrist.

There is a large South Asian community, but only one South Asian health agency in the entire GTA. PCHS is the only organization which provides help in the mental health field. It is time that the South Asian community demands more mental health services for their people.

South Asian Seniors and Health Issues

Elderly people are often isolated in the South Asian community as their loved ones go to work and grandchildren go to educational institutions. Seniors often come to Canada in a healthy state, but their health deteriorates as their length of stay increases. Physical problems often result from ageing, while other reasons may include mental illness and substance use problems, especially the misuse of alcohol. It can be difficult for health care workers, families and even seniors themselves to distinguish between problems related to ageing and those linked to mental illness. For this reason, it is important to be aware of the issues facing older people to ensure they have access to mental health services.

It would not be possible to address all the mental health issues faced by South Asian seniors, but a few of the illnesses are:

Depression

Depression is categorized in three stages, a) some depression symptoms, b) moderate to severe symptoms, c) extreme depression symptoms. There is some discussion amongst senior groups that many South Asian seniors are depressed because of loneliness and isolation.

Dementia

Dementia is a term used for a group of symptoms associated with non-treatable, irreversible, progressive illnesses that affect the brain. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. Late-life dementia interferes with a person’s ability to function normally in social and occupational settings.

Addiction

Addiction to alcohol or drugs and elder abuse may also affect seniors. Suicide is sometimes a consequence. These problems are often related to mental disorders. Seniors’ mental health issues also affect family members, many of whom experience caregiver stress and develop physical and mental health problems of their own.

Distress–Negative emotions like nervousness, sadness, or hopelessness generally decrease as people age. But as people reach the age of 75 and older signs of distress increase again. Physical problems and loneliness may explain why mental well-being worsens among the elderly.

Punjabi Community Health Services (PCHS) have two offices to serve you. PCHS has a case manager to serve the seniors who are quite frail and would require home care services. The case manager works to link seniors and their family members to additional services as well. Help is just a phone call away – please call at 905.790.0808.

By Baldev Mutta

Dilemmas Faced by South Asian Students in Choosing their Career

“I don’t really want to become a doctor, but since my parents are willing to pay for it, I’ll just do it.”

Too many times, young individuals face the dilemma of what career path to follow. They constantly ask themselves, “What should I do in life?” and they often get a response like this: “You should probably consider a career in medicine, law, or teaching. This is the right thing to do.”

Advice like this may come from a friend, a sibling, or a loved one. However, most of the time, such advice comes from the individual’s parents. The fact is, many parents want the best for their offsprings and will, at times, push them into disciplines where they believe their child will be successful [read financially]. Mostly, these disciplines include sciences, computer science, medicine, teaching and law. Subjects in the arts field tend to remain as electives –courses that are ‘taken for fun’.

Why do so many young individuals, specifically South Asian young people aspire to be doctors, lawyers, accountants, and teachers? Why has there been an increase in admission to medical schools, law schools and teachers college over the last year couple of years?

As a young South Asian, I can say that many of the applicants are of a South Asian background and the reason why they chose these courses is because their parents felt it was the right thing to do.

Many South Asian parents emigrate from the East to get a better life in the West. In Canada, we see a growing number of immigrants, particularly in certain areas of the GTA.  For many parents, a better life here means for their children to not experience the same hardships they faced back home or when they immigrated to Canada.  One factor that causes parents to pressure their kids to go into fields such as medicine, law or engineering, despite the latter’s possible unwillingness, is because parents become insecure due to the fact they lived tough lives previously. For this reason, many parents pay for their children’s education in full. I remember a student telling me once, “I don’t really want to become a doctor, but since my parents are willing to pay for it, I’ll just do it.”

Young individuals find it hard to live independently because of these factors. Parents need to realize that even though their child may become successful, he or she may end up disliking their career path and bear resentment towards their parents. Such resentment can result in bitter conflicts in families. Parents need to understand that peace of mind is more important than success and wealth.

South Asian parents encourage their children to choose career paths that lead to high-paying and rewarding jobs in the future. Nonetheless, the approach can backfire and clash with a young individual’s identity formation. When young individuals grow up in societies such as ours where there is a huge entertainment and arts scene, they become exposed to a whole new world.

Take for example, ‘Rahul’, a second-year university student who resides in Brampton and is currently studying at Ryerson University in Toronto. He is pursuing a major in Computer Engineering. However, he is also taking many electives in the field of music and film. “I’m majoring in Chemical Engineering because I’ve always been told by elders and my parents that my life will be better and that these are where all the good jobs are at, you know. But when I started commuting Downtown Toronto and spending most of my time here, I realized there’s a totally different culture here. Then I realized that I wanted to do something involving music and film because there is a pretty big music scene in Toronto – one of the biggest rappers right now in the music scene was born and raised in Toronto and that’s pretty cool. That’s why I’m taking classes on film production and music because maybe one day I can work on a production site and produce a music video or something. Well, that’s if I’m not too busy fixing people motherboards,” chuckles Rahul.

Although Rahul’s interests lie in production and music, he is conditioned to think that a job in the engineering field will get him far in life. When asked what his parents would think if he pursued a career in film production, he stated, “I don’t think they would be too supportive or happy with it because it’s not really seen as a realistic job, you know.”

Another aspect to Rahul’s approach is that he went to university to realize he doesn’t like what he is meant to study there. All of a sudden he discovers, he has a passion for film production. He remained unaware of his passion for last 18 years. This is one of the reasons why adults don’t take their kids’ desires seriously.

This is the issue with many a young South Asian youth—they feel that while they are capable of pursuing a career outside the norm, they just don’t believe it’s realistic or that it will get them anywhere. One wonders, if young individuals have the confidence to tell their parents they want to go into fashion design or graphic design as opposed to law or teaching? Professors of youth studies agree on the fact that many young individuals feel as if they need to make their parents happy in order to continue on with their lives and become successful, even if it means burying their career aspirations.

Young individuals should rely on guidance counsellors rather than their parents for advice. Guidance counselors can often become a voice of reason for young individuals. Speaking from experience and having been through teacher’s college, I can say that I thought – and was told – that it was the right thing to do. I graduated teachers college in March of 2011 after graduating from York University.

Like Rahul and many other students, I started off in a major because I was told it would be good for me. After a year into the program, I dropped out and switched into a discipline that focused on research and writing and, of course, I got the whole “Where is this going to get you” speech from many individuals. But at the end of the day, regardless of what many might think is “the right thing”, I realized that a career in writing and research—though different from the norm—is something that interests me and would be something that I would feel most comfortable with.

By Jaspal Gill

Toronto

I was born in a world when blackberries and apples were just fruits.

Web was a thing spiders spun, and net was something you caught a fish with. Hardware was hammers and nails and saws you worked with, and software was never heard of.

Rams, spiders, blue-rays and bugs were all living creatures. (Some of them creepy and crawly). And the ‘Trojan horse’ was just a chapter in history books. I do not to understand how they made their way into tech-textbooks.

Blue tooth? Can you imagine a more novel name? How would you look if you smiled with one blue tooth? I mean, it’s a gadget you wear on your ear and talk with your hands flung around to air as if you were schizophrenic. It could have been called a ‘hearing-phone’, ‘ear-phone’… anything. But BLUE TOOTH? And it’s hardly ever ‘blue’! Tell me, how does ‘tooth’ explain hearing?

My life has become complicated ever since. And then came the gypsy… oops, GPS. I mean the GPS looked pretty smart on my dash board, but the lady inside that gadget was the most annoying, rudest person I had run into in a long time. Every ten minutes, she would sarcastically say, “Re-calculating.” You would think that she could be nicer. I felt she could barely tolerate me. She would let go with a deep sigh and then tell me to make a U-turn at the next light… And then if I missed the turn, like that intolerable teacher in my geography class, she would grunt, “Re-Cal-cu-lating”…  Well, that is not a good relationship.

I was barely getting used to TV remotes, when a cell-phone entered my life. They were almost the same sizes then and looked pretty much alike. I would often tell my husband to ‘Pass me the remote’ when my cell-phone rang. And picked up my cell-phone to change channels. Thankfully, now cell-phones have become smaller and remotes larger, (for some incomprehensible reason!), and I am spared of the agony of screaming: “Hello! Hello!” pressing the TV remote against my ear.

I thought I had become quite tech-savvy when I had my own Facebook and Twitter accounts. But then suddenly you had Tweeter, Tweetree, Twhirl, Twitterfon, Tweetie and Twittererific Tweetdeck, Twitpix thrown at you! Hide! Cover! I need a place for cover!

The world is just getting too complex for me. Even in the remotest corner of earth, I get cell-phone signals. Hell! I am tracked! They know where I am, what I am doing! They even mess me up every time I go to the grocery store. You would think they could decide on it, but at the counter they (humans who bear a tad semblance to small robots) suddenly ask, “How many bags?” letting you know slyly that you have to pay 5c for each.

I am confused. I look at the quantity of grocery and mumble, “Five”. How could they expect me to understand how many bags would it need to fit in all that grocery? What if I needed another bag? Would I have to stand in the line again? Would I pay 5c in coins, or would they accept my card? I am so afraid of making a fool of myself that I never tried to find that out. Stuff in whatever you got in there, woman, and RUN!

The world of technology can never be complete without a beep. Whenever I hear a beep, I panic! I frantically look around!  What did I do? Where did I go wrong? It’s either that I’ve forgotten my microwave or something is burning in the oven; or I haven’t tied my car-seat belt; or I have missed my train in the subway; or the smoke alarm is about to go off! The scariest of them all is the smoke alarm. It makes me feel guilty for roasting or grilling some good food. And then there’s the fire alarm which is the Big Boss!!

These beeps in my life are constantly reprimanding me that I am not living my life up to their standards. The car beep starts shrieking the moment it sees me and won’t stop until my seat belt is fastened tight. I mean, I need some breathing space! And then when I am happy that I have fulfilled all the ‘beep’ rules… my Facebook chat window beeps!

Life was much simpler those days. We didn’t have cell-phones to carry to school, picnics or hang-outs. But our parents never panicked if we were a tad late.  We never had computers and so friends were constantly hanging out. Laughing with each other, going shopping together, eyeing handsome men or beautiful women, reading books, romancing in the library…. It was all so charming.

With the world getting crammed up inside ‘tabs’ on a computer screen, most relationships are getting virtual. The other day my son ‘poked’ me: no, not physically, but virtually, on Facebook, from his computer, sitting right next to me! I was :O

Sigh!! These relationships I share with technology around are simply falling apart!

By Kaberi Chatterjee

Accenture Inc.
Agfa HealthCare Inc.
Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited
AMEC Americas Limited
Amex Canada Inc.
Amgen Canada Inc.
AMAPCEO
Bayer Inc.
BD Canada Inc.
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
BMO Financial Group
CAA South Central Ontario
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce / CIBC
Carswell, div. Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd.
Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto
Central Community Care Access Centre
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health / CAMH
CH2M HILL Canada Limited
Chubb Insurance Company of Canada
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
Compass Group Canada
Credit Valley Hospital, The
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Durham College
eHealth Ontario
EllisDon Corporation
EMD Inc.
Ernst & Young LLP
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Fleishman-Hillard Canada Inc.
Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP
Gamma-Dynacare Medical Laboratories Inc.
General Motors of Canada Limited
George Brown College
GlaxoSmithKline Inc. / GSK
Halton, Regional Municipality of
Hershey Canada Incorporated
Hewlett-Packard Canada Co.
Hill and Knowlton Canada Inc.
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
Home Depot Canada, The
Honeywell International Inc.
Hospital for Sick Children, The
Humber College
Infusion Development Corp.
Intelex Technologies Inc.
KPMG LLP
Kraft Foods Canada
Law Society of Upper Canada, The
Loblaw Companies Limited
LoyaltyOne Inc.
Manulife Financial Corporation
Mars Canada Inc.
Marsh Canada Limited
Medtronic of Canada Ltd.
Meridian Credit Union
Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences
Miller Group, The
Molson Coors Canada
Mount Sinai Hospital
Nelson Education Ltd.
Novo Nordisk Canada Inc.
Nycomed Canada Inc.
Ontario Hospital Association
Ontario Power Authority
Ontario Public Service
Peel Regional Police
Pelmorex Media Inc.
PepsiCo Beverages Canada
Pitney Bowes of Canada Limited
PowerStream Inc.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Procter & Gamble Inc.
Rogers Communications Inc.
Royal Bank of Canada
SAP Canada Inc.
SAS Institute (Canada) Inc.
SCOR Canada Reinsurance Company
Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology
Southlake Regional Health Centre
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
TD Bank Group
TeraGo Networks Inc.
Toronto Central Community Care Access Centre
Toronto Hydro Corporation
Toronto International Film Festival
United Way of Greater Toronto
University of Toronto
Whirlpool Canada LP
William Osler Health System
World Vision Canada
XE.com Inc.
Xerox Canada Inc.
YMCA of Greater Toronto
York, Regional Municipality of