Are the characters in the animated movie real?” My grandma once asked me.

“No grandma, they are artificially made by computer software,” I replied. She just nodded. But I knew that it didn’t make sense to her. It might have been just a passing comment but that episode made me think about all the ways the world has changed as it transitioned from her generation to mine. There is so much I and my grandma need to talk about in order to bridge the generation gap. There are so many things I can learn from my grandma, as she does from me. We can reflect on how the world and the society has transformed since the last time she was as young as I am now.

Obviously, many, many things have changed. The beliefs her generation held so strongly have become fluid now. So many cultural traditions and religious rituals are slowly disappearing. Many practices have been either modified or discarded altogether, and language is ever evolving.

The only way to coexist without feeling alienated then is communication. The only way to learn from the past and build a better future then is sharing knowledge about our generations respectively.

It is difficult to believe my ears whenever my grandma says how there was no adequate means of transportation and communication during her time. No cars, bikes, or buses. No internet or telephone, TV or radio. I couldn’t even imagine a world like that. But, my grandma survived that world and so did her generation. Back then, these means of communication or transport probably didn’t seem so important. They probably didn’t even feel the absence of the facilities until they came into use.

My generation on the other hand can’t imagine living in a world like that. I would probably feel like a primate that just descended from the caves if I had to live in those conditions.

It is interesting how much my grandma has seen in her life—the invention of all this technology and infrastructure which probably feels magical to her. A woman who once didn’t know what a phone looks like, today, talks to her son overseas over a Skype call.

I can still remember that astonishment in her face when she used it for the first time.

I guess when I’m old; I would feel the same about the world that’s going to change by then. When that happens, I’m sure I would be able to relate myself better to the way grandmother feels at the moment and treat the values of the upcoming generations with utmost respect. But that doesn’t mean I would give up my own values. It just means I would stick to the good ones that I believe in and adapt to the better propositions that have come along the way.

I just hope that I will be more open to the younger generation. For example, between me and my grandma, the gap is so huge that the right thing to do for one generation is a complete abhorrence to the other generation. For instance, grandma’s generation, in fact even the generation after her, still believes that it is sinful to touch a woman who is having her period. Our generation on the other hand is proactively breaking the taboos based on menstrual health and hygiene. Menstruation is treated as a biological process by the younger generation, while the older generation treats it as a religious obstruction.

Another example is that of the Janai that men in the family are supposed to wear. All I see is a long not-so-tidy thread that can be easily discarded, while grandma’s generation perceives it as a powerful holy thread that should be worn at all times and at all costs, once a boy transitions into adulthood after the Bratabandha ceremony. Because, I belong to a Brahmin family, it is expected of me to wear the Janai. Even though I don’t believe in the thread’s ‘holy power’, I wear it to give my grandma her peace of mind, because technically it doesn’t hurt anyone.

Modifying rituals is important and it can be done with minimum damage to the self respect of both generations.

I feel like the stories told by the elder generation and the sharing of information by the younger generation are very important so that we are not living in a vacuum. We need to keep history intact and make sure that the future is secure. It is important to open up platforms at home for dialogues. It is also important to open up our hearts and minds to hear each other out.

Generation gap is inevitable, but we can bridge the gap by giving one another a chance. As the younger generation equipped with information, science and technology, it is important to acknowledge the fact that the older generation did not enjoy the same convenience and accessibility. It is important to understand that they have deep-rooted and strongly-held beliefs because it was passed on to them through family traditions and myths that could not be easily busted in their time. Sometimes, it is also important to listen to the older generation because they have what we don’t—experience. They have lessons accumulated as a result of their actions over the decades.

Our generation needs to be kind and patient in understanding why the older generation are the way they are. But at the same time, also sharp and smart in busting myths and transforming traditions that will only hold us back.

Pandey is a high school graduate from St Xavier’s College