by Dr Mushtaq Rather
The Aurangabad tragedy offers Kashmir a warning about parenting, instant gratification, digital obsession, financial pressures, distraction and the need for connection
Recently, a gut-wrenching incident from Aurangabad, Maharashtra, took place in which three family members died on the spot. It all started when a 19-year-old boy compelled his parents to buy him an iPhone, and the fallout followed over repaying the EMIs.
The 19-year-old allegedly went uphill after an argument with his parents. The teenager had threatened suicide, prompting his parents, other inhabitants and police personnel to spend nearly three hours persuading him to give up the bid. The teenager’s father also climbed up the hill after initially trying to reason with his son from below.
During the last 15–20 minutes of the ordeal, the father moved closer to him and attempted to grab him as he backed off towards the edge. The stand-off reached a fatal end when the father approached his son to calm him down and convince him to step away from the ledge. After seeing them fall from the cliff, his mother tried to rescue her son and husband but slipped and fell in the process. This unfortunate incident shook the entire nation. The tragic tale is: where is the younger generation drifting towards?
Lesson for Kashmir
The Aurangabad incident is a warning sign for Kashmir as well. Our younger generation is even more vulnerable and susceptible to pseudo-show-off, more so when it is related to the possession of branded and expensive digital gadgets. They seem to glamorize the things which are, in fact, distracting them from the realities of life.
There is another distressing side to it. There is an absolute craze and madness among the younger generation to buy iPhones. This has become the trend in society. Irrespective of the financial condition of the family, the adamancy on the part of the child forces the parents to fulfil their unjust demands, and the demands don’t die down; instead, new demands come to the fore. Whatever the financial condition of the family, the child has to show off the logo of an iPhone.
The author is himself a witness to innumerable instances where children, even from marginalized sections of society, are seen flaunting their iPhones. Just imagine the magnitude of financial hardships it might have caused to the families these children belong to. Jammu and Kashmir is currently plagued with the highest rate of unemployment in the country. Bulk of our youth are jobless and are literally out of the ambit of the organized working sector. Their idleness has further exacerbated the financial worries of the families.
The Alternative Path
Modern-day parenting has shelved the concept of delayed gratification. As parents, we always try to fulfil every wish thrown at us by the child. The outcome is that the child is not ready to hear a “no” to his demands. Instant gratification potentially increases vulnerability to mental health problems. This is one of the reasons that children nurtured through instant gratification are prone to suicidal tendencies, as their every demand is fulfilled instantly.
Delaying gratification can go an extra mile in developing resilience and coping mechanisms in case his desires and demands are not fulfilled as per his expectations. However, every time we succumb to their demands and
The breakthrough is realising that connection beats correction. You cannot demand focus in a world full of noise. You have to earn it. A distracted generation is not unreachable. They are simply searching for what feels authentic, relatable and real. They can sense when words are empty. They can sense when one is pretending.
The lesson is that reaching a distracted generation requires presence more than pressure. It means speaking their language without losing your own values. It means showing them not just what to do but why it matters. It means modeling focus in a way that makes them curious to find it for themselves. When you show up consistently, with truth and patience, the distracted generation is bound to get back on track.
This applies not only to young people but to every environment where distractions threaten connection. Employees who feel unheard disengage. Students who feel invisible stop trying. Families who never pause to listen drift apart. The solution is not simply asking for more meaningful handholding. It is creating spaces where people feel seen and valued enough. The power to exit the planet of distractions is in our hands. We can switch it on and we can switch it off for the younger generation. The challenge is to see the value of giving distractions a rest and finding ways in which the youth can work, study and live from a place of true beauty.
(The author is an educator from Mattan, Anantnag. Views are personal)
