Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra ‘Uratript’
Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra, known for his wit and wisdom, is a prolific writer, renowned satirist, children’s literature author, and poet. He has undertaken the monumental task of writing, editing, and coordinating a total of 55 books for the Telangana government at the primary school, college, and university levels. His editorial endeavors also include online editions of works by Acharya Ramchandra Shukla.
As a celebrated satirist, Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra has carved a niche for himself, with over eight million viewers, readers, and listeners tuning in to his literary musings on the demise of a teacher on the Sahitya AajTak channel. His contributions have earned him prestigious accolades such as the Telangana Hindi Academy’s Shreshtha Navyuva Rachnakaar Samman in 2021, presented by the honorable Chief Minister of Telangana, Mr. Chandrashekhar Rao. He has also been honored with the Vyangya Yatra Ravindranath Tyagi Stairway Award and the Sahitya Srijan Samman, alongside recognition from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and various other esteemed institutions.
Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra’s journey is not merely one of literary accomplishments but also a testament to his unwavering dedication, creativity, and profound impact on society. His story inspires us to strive for excellence, to use our talents for the betterment of others, and to leave an indelible mark on the world. Today we present his Satire The Lost Childhood... .
☆ Witful Warmth # 30 ☆
☆ Satire ☆ The Lost Childhood… ☆ Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra ‘Uratript’ ☆
In a quaint little town, where the chirping of birds once drowned out the noise of the mundane, a new deity arose, sleek and shiny, with a screen that glowed brighter than the morning sun. This was no ordinary deity; it was the Mobile Phone, the omnipotent ruler of modern life. Revered by adults and children alike, it demanded neither temples nor offerings—just their time, their sanity, and their souls.
Among its devoted followers were children, tiny humans who once found joy in the rustling leaves and the melody of rain. Now, their playgrounds were mere backdrops to selfies, their laughter replaced by the clinking sounds of virtual coins in games like Free Fire. Gone were the days of scraped knees and shared secrets; instead, they embarked on epic battles in pixelated arenas, fighting for glory that mattered to no one but the algorithm.
“Mom, I’m in the top 10!” little Arjun exclaimed one day, his face aglow—not with the warmth of childhood, but with the cold, blue light of his phone. His mother smiled weakly, her heart breaking silently. Arjun no longer cared for the toy train she had saved for months to buy. No, his heart now belonged to a digital avatar wielding a sniper rifle.
The irony, of course, was deliciously cruel. These tiny warriors, so adept at maneuvering through the mazes of their games, couldn’t find their way back to the dinner table without Google Maps. They built empires in the virtual world while their real lives crumbled into piles of neglected homework and skipped meals.
Social media was the Mobile Phone’s other masterpiece. Children who once giggled over silly jokes now wore serious expressions, perfecting their TikTok dances and Instagram poses. They chased likes and followers, trading their innocence for a fleeting moment of digital fame. “I’m a content creator!” declared 12-year-old Riya, her face adorned with filters that made her look like a porcelain doll. The irony? She was too busy creating “content” to notice the real content of life slipping through her fingers.
Parents, too, were complicit in this tragedy, their hypocrisy shining brighter than their phone screens. “These kids are always glued to their phones!” they complained, while scrolling endlessly through WhatsApp forwards and YouTube tutorials. They handed over tablets to toddlers to keep them quiet, then lamented the loss of familial bonds. “When I was your age,” they began, only to be cut off by the ding of a notification.
The Mobile Phone, meanwhile, basked in its omnipresence. It watched as children became strangers to their own families, their heads bent not in prayer but in endless scrolling. Grandparents, once the keepers of bedtime stories, now sat in corners, ignored and forgotten, while their grandchildren watched strangers play video games on YouTube.
Yet, the tears of this satire are not just for the children; they are for humanity itself. The Mobile Phone, this marvel of human ingenuity, was meant to connect us, yet it had severed the most vital connections. Children no longer ran to their parents with tales of their day; instead, they posted stories on Instagram. Friends no longer laughed together in sunlit parks; they exchanged emojis in WhatsApp groups.
And then there was the dark underbelly of this addiction: the sleepless nights, the strained eyes, the anxiety over a game’s ranking or a post’s likes. A child’s world, once filled with endless possibilities, now revolved around a six-inch screen. The irony was bitter—these devices, designed to make life easier, had made childhood the most complicated it had ever been.
But perhaps the cruelest satire of all lies in the dreams of these children. Ask them what they want to be, and the answers are as predictable as they are tragic: “A gamer,” “A YouTuber,” “A social media influencer.” They no longer aspire to be doctors or artists or astronauts; their dreams are confined to the boundaries of a Wi-Fi signal.
And so, the Mobile Phone sat on its metaphorical throne, ruling over a kingdom of lost childhoods. It had given these children everything—entertainment, validation, distraction—yet taken away the one thing that mattered: their sense of wonder.
One day, when the screens go dark, and the servers shut down, these children will look up and find a world they no longer recognize. They will see their parents, older and wearier, their siblings, strangers they never got to know, and their own reflections, unfiltered and unfamiliar.
The question is, will it be too late? Will they mourn the playgrounds they never explored, the books they never read, the bonds they never formed? Or will they simply scroll on, looking for the next distraction, the next game, the next follower?
Perhaps the only way to end this tale is with a plea—a tearful, satirical cry for the world to wake up. Let children be children again. Let them climb trees and scrape their knees. Let them write their own stories, not captions. Let them fight real battles, not virtual ones.
For if we don’t, this satire will no longer be satire; it will be the reality we chose. A reality where the Mobile Phone is king, and childhood is its greatest casualty.
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© Dr. Suresh Kumar Mishra ‘Uratript’
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