Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Children highlighted how excessive mobile use is causing neglect of parents and distancing people from one another, at the Digital Detox Festival held on Sunday. Through skits and performances, they presented the reality that mobile overuse is making us lose our own loved ones.
The eye-opening play showcased how ‘over-socializing’ through gadgets is destroying relationships. It was staged at MGM’s Rukmini Auditorium. The festival was jointly organized by Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar’s Chetana Empowerment Foundation and Mumbai’s Hema Foundation to raise awareness among students across the country about digital habits. Both poster presentations and theatrical performances were held. Actress Nishigandha Wad, Mahendra Kabra, Vivek Randad, Sanjay Kenekar, Rishi Bagla, Brahmakumari Sheeladidi, and Murli Gunge Patil were present.
This was a national-level competition in which 900 students from 87 cities across 10 states participated in the preliminary round. Of them, 75 groups reached the finals.
Bihar’s impactful performance
Students from Purnia, Bihar, depicted how children ignore their mothers due to mobile addiction. In the play, two children refuse to even sit for meals with their mother. The emotionally drained mother falls seriously ill and calls out to them, but with headphones in their ears, the children don’t hear her voice. When she collapses, the children realize the gravity of their neglect. As they break down crying, the mother wakes up and reveals it was part of the play making them realize the importance of family bonds.
Relationships matter
Students from Vivekananda College presented a play about a boy who quarrels with his father to buy a mobile phone for his girlfriend. Obsessed with the phone, he neglects his elderly father. It is only after his father’s death that he realizes his mistake.
Both competitions awarded ₹51,000 to the first prize winners, ₹31,000 to the second, and ₹21,000 to the third. Consolation prizes were also given.
A moving reminder by Nishigandha Wad
Speaking at the event, actress Nishigandha Wad narrated the story of a boy who forgets his grandparents due to his mobile addiction. Even while they are alive, he remains absorbed in his phone. Later, while rushing to meet them, he meets with an accident because he was using his mobile while driving. When he regains consciousness in the hospital, he feels the tender touch of his grandparents. “If one day this touch is lost forever, what will remain in life?” she asked, gently wiping away tears from her eyes.