India: Modern life marked by alienation, aloofness: VP Naidu

M Venkaiah Naidu

New Delhi, Jun 16 (PTI) Modern life is marked by alienation and aloofness, and the result is depression, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said, underlining that the flavour of sharing and caring which was a norm in old days is missing in present times.

Talking about his own experiences of life in good old days, Naidu said life then used to "play out amidst a network of strong social relationships and there was no reason to feel alone and uncared for and no ground to be depressed".

He said sharing the joy and pain used to be the norm in the old days.

Every individual was a source of strength and support to the other and every family likewise to others, Naidu said.

Comparing the life in old days with current times, the vice president said, "The modern life in contrast is marked by isolation, aloofness, alienation and the resultant depression. It is a clear case of the flavour of life those days missing now."

The modern life is walled from all sides leading to claustrophobia, he added.

Emphasising on the balanced life in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Naidu said living in harmony with nature is the need of the hour while asserting that excesses of all kinds shall be avoided for a better tomorrow.

Prudence in eating, physical activity, sleeping, thought processes, controlling the mind, work-life balance besides defining the meaning and purpose of life shows the way forward, he said.