I reached my Hometown Jatni on 1st September 2022, to meet my ailing mother. She was suffering from a deadly disease since3 years. But she had an amazingly fighting quality and a high will power& power of tolerance. She never expressed her pain that she had underwent during her last 1 year. The pain was terrible that we can perceive. I think everyone cannot understand from her expression and talks that she was suffering so badly. Only very few close blood relations canunderstand her sufferings during her ailing days. For her (my mother), all her ailing days and nights are same as she kept calling Liku and Babu. The last 03 years have seen few attendants in our Jatni home. The attendants have served my mother and father significantly during their last period. We must acknowledge their services. Most of us forget those, who served us during our need. I think those people are God sent and we in many occasions fail to recognise them and their services. We only identify their faults.

On 1st September evening when I went to see my mother who was sleeping by then. After one hour she woke up and saw me. I could see happiness in her expression. She was not in a position to talk. Little liquid diet being fed through the rice tube. I could sense that her condition deteriorated badly. For last 02 years I have been watching Bou’s (mother’s) condition going from bad to worse. It was a frequent question within me during my every visit to Jatni that if it was my last visit to my mother. I was wishing sincerely that if my mother passes away then she should breathe her last in my presence and it happened too as lord Jagannath granted my desire.

Mother passed away on 8th September 2022 at 7-30am. From 31st August 2022 evening onwards her voice was not clear. Whatever she was saying was difficult to understand, perhaps the voice was paralysed. In the evening, 5th of September 2022, I came, hold her hands and asked few things about herself and her health. She started talking to me nonstop for (5-10) minutes as if she was advising me something that I shouldfollow. Her Voice was very straight, authoritative but not clear. I could not understand her. I was quietly trying to understand the meaning of her talks but failed. She could understand that I am struggling to understand her advices. She looked disappointingly at me and I too felt helpless. She probably knew that she is approaching her Journey end in this world.

But I was trying decode seriously those lines that Bou told me in the evening of 5thSepember 2022. I am dead sure that she was telling to take care of myself, the house in Jatni and others in family as she would leave the world very soon. Exactly from that 5th September 2022, Bou’s activities became extremely slow. Her eating, reactions, intermittently talks have slowed down significantly. She continuously slept from 6th September night onwards for her long, never ending sleep. I was little apprehensive regarding the no reaction from Bou. But she was breathing long and struggling with eyes closed. On the 8th September early morning I was curious and suspicious regarding the no response from Bou. I called younger brother n his wife. They too looked worried to see Bou in this condition. The last 30 minutes (8th September2022, 7-30am to 8am) was probably the Moment of truth. The breathing became faster and longer and I was watching that standing silently near my mother. Bou lies silently on her bed. I can’t describe that whether it was a grief or a sense of spiritual feeling that the soul of mother is mingling with the Paramatma. After sometimes everything fell silent. We could understand silently that Moment of truth. Also I could understand that many persons in their departingmoment probably become incapable of expressing their last desires.Is it the rule of world?

Does every departing soul can’t talk voice properly or express his or her last desire properly? So I feel everyone should try to express his/her desire in advance in writtenform so that his/her desires may be taken care, possibly by someone. Even if it’s not taken care, hopefully it will be understood by few people. I hope that I will get few signals from any source regarding the Bou’s last advice to me. I am still trying to decode the advice of my mother.

Background

The traditional classroom education and the teaching methodology has been obsolete even in the standard schools in India. Especially after the pandemic, almost all the general schools and the professional schools in India have shifted to the online/digital platform and education. We are moving with the world of digitalization in education and in the professional front. The digitalisation has taken a giant step in different educational media, Journals and different digital devices. The students of this generation are finding it inconvenient to study without a laptop/Desktop/Smartphone. This generation can’t work, can’t write& can’t study without a Computer and the Internet. The Internet and the laptop/smart phone has become their life line in their personal life and professional world. It is clear that social networking and social media have a large influence on the way people think and behave and on their daily working style. The students’ fraternity is no exception in the present age. The students (youngsters) in the age group (18-24) have become more vulnerable to the influence of the Smartphone and the internet. Generally, the youngsters at this age prefer to spend their spare time in games and sports (outdoors primarily). But it is observed that majority of the youngsters are staying far away from the outdoor games and physical works frequently. The physical /real friend circle is shrinking day by day and the virtual friends circle is increasing day by day. The face to face interaction and meet with friends is drying up. A dominant environment of smart phone use is prevailing everywhere which drags the attention of the students undecidedly. This environment in many occasions disturbs the learning in the professional schools and colleges.

Significance

As the facilitators of the sectoral professional educational Institute, we come across many directionless students using social media every day in hospitality management schools. When we try to understand the behaviour of such students it puzzles us regarding their approach towards their academic learning life and their social life. Such attitude has been found among the youngsters in recent decade. This behaviour is primarily due to their close involvement with the social media. The social media engage these youngsters actively on daily basis for few hours. During this period, these youngsters do not focus properly on their academic learning in schools and colleges. In many instances these youngsters fail in their assessments. Few youngsters do not attend their classes and become busy with social sites. Gradually these youngsters keep themselves aloof from the schools and colleges also from the academic activities. Social media has started creating a negative impact by permeating into today's society and millions of us are in the trap, unproductive time. The social sites like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat etc. have so diffused into the thought process of the students that it disturbs their daily time table. But the students do not accept that their time is wasted. Hence it was decided to conduct a survey regarding the use of the social media by the students of hospitality. This scoping review will help provide an understanding of the research within the field of social media.

Investigation

In a pilot study, a survey was conducted in a hotel management degree institute. In a population of 770, we managed to get 351 responses from the target clientele (students) the students were asked to fill up few structured questionnaires through Google form online. The responses were found very quickly, within 03days and it was felt that probably this topic is very much relevant to the present generation.

Inference Drawn

• 91% users say smart phone is best device to access Social media.

• 40% users spend (3-5) hours/daily in social media

• 90% respondents use Mobile App to access Social media

• 70% use Social media during leisure time and 30% during travelling

• 51% check Social media immediately after waking up in morning

• 49% check Social media as the last act before retiring at night

• 81% users tried to reduce their time spent in social media use

• 42.9% users were not successful in quitting the social media use

• 39.7% users were partially successful in quitting the social media use

• 17.4% users were successful in quitting the social media use

These inferences are drawn from an exercise through questionnaire and the respondents were students of a Hospitality Management Institute. These findings are limited to the pilot study only. Generally, the Hospitality management institutes are located in the urban areas. With a bigger sample size, the findings may vary with different locations.

Suggestions

• There should be emphasis on the mandatory Yoga class in the time table for the students.

• There should be a pre notified compulsory black out of the internet services for at least 03 hours in the nonacademic hours in a week.