English Assignment

Dialogue between Gaurav and Senior Citizens – Mr. Naresh and Mrs. Kalpana

Gaurav – Namaste Uncle Ji, Namaste Aunty Ji. My name is Gaurav and I’m a
college student pursuing Economics. I’ve come here to interact with senior
citizens of our society and learn from their experiences in life. Would really
love it if you could have a conversation with me about your day to day lives in
this facility

Mr. Naresh – Ahh good good. Nowadays, hardly anyone comes to visit us
anymore, especially during this awful pandemic. Gaurav is a nice name, stands
for pride. Have you done anything that has made your parents proud?

Mrs Kapana – Oh stop it Naresh, let the sweet boy enjoy his days of youth. You
have all your life to work hard and make people proud. Gladly Gaurav, it is
always a pleasure chatting with young passionate minds, helps us stay up to
date and expands our perspective too

Gaurav – Haha all I can say uncle is that I try but I will certainly do something
like that one day. Thank you, Aunty – so can you share how you spend your
time here, what does your daily routine look like and how often you get to see
your kids and grandkids?

Mrs Kalpana – Life here is peaceful but sometimes it can get lonely. At this
age, there are only a few things to look forward to like your grandchild’s
birthday or graduation or the occasional family zoom call. In the morning, I get
up and pray. Then the usual morning routine, we have breakfast at the
common lounge with other senior citizens. Then I’ll watch some TV in the
afternoon and take a nap. In the evening, we usually have some activities
planned by the club like Bingo Night, Karaoke or Movie night. I have early
dinner and then I go to sleep after talking with my son on call.

Gaurav – Ohh, it seems like you find a way to engage yourself and enjoy at the
same time. Glad you’re not getting bored like the rest of us stuck at home
since the last 1.5 years haha. How about you Uncle? Can you share your
routine here?
Mr. Naresh – I wonder why these young people are so curious about what we
do. Anyway, I get up, read the newspaper only to discover that our country is
going to the dogs. I eat the same old, bland lunch and then I sleep as well. In
the evening, we watch the news but I’ve stopped watching it as these crooked
news channels are only creating unnecessary panic and hype these days. In the
night, I play this game called Ludo on my phone with my grandchildren. Why
don’t you tell us about your life?

Gaurav – Uncle if you don’t like the lunch served here, please let me know
from next time. I’ll order you some really delicious food from Swiggy. About
me uncle, I used to have an active lifestyle before this pandemic. Going out
frequently to gyms, restaurants and seeing a new movie at the cinema or just
chilling with friends. But that has become a memory now, a distant and blurred
memory that seems like a dream. Now, I am always at home and half my day is
spent attending online classes of our college much like everyone else my age.
The other half, I try to work out a little. I finish my assignments or study for
upcoming tests. Of the little free time I get, I spend it with my grandfather
discussing interesting events and news stories. My grandpa loves political talks
and I love discussing controversial economic policies with him.

Mr Naresh – That’s good. I’m happy you are spending time with your grandpa.
Never take your grandparents for granted. And I can empathize with you about
spending your energetic and youthful days stuck inside four walls but on the
bright side, there is much to look forward to once this ends. Be positive and
hopeful

Mrs Kapana – Naresh is right, Gaurav. This is unprecedented for us as well. But
you have a long way to go. Appreciate the little things in life and be grateful to
God that you and your family are safe and healthy

Gaurav – Absolutely Aunty. I will try to introspect and be more optimistic in my

approach to life. Thank you so much for conversing with me, this was very
enlightening. I wish you great health always. Uncle, if you play Ludo, invite me
too next time haha
 Negative Impact of Advertising

In the era of digitalisation, it seems like everything is well within reach. The entire world
has been transformed into a virtually connected village with an online presence of a
large number of people belonging to different backgrounds and having their individual
identities. Due to globalisation, a number of companies have emerged and for them,
internet is not only a facility but a powerful tool through which they can advertise and
market their commercial offerings in a way that allures and speaks to the customer
like never before. Advertising in its simplest form is a type of communication with the
market comprising of a calculated, strategic and proactive approach to notify a target
audience regarding the merits and features of a company’s product or service and
differentiate it from the competition. Advertising plays a pivotal role in company’s
success but just like anything, it has its dark side. In this article- we explore how
sometimes corporates unethically deploy advertising campaigns to lure the customer
and unfairly gain their attention.

Misrepresentation - All sorts of advertisements aim to present their products and

services in the best possible light. But often some companies over-exaggerate
product features to the degree of falsely representing them. Fairness creams and
facewashes routinely make unproven and racist claims leading to a negative
perception around dark skin tone. These kind of advertisements which appeal to
people’s insecurities generate revenue by making people feel inadequate and not
good enough. The claims made by them are also unattainable and detached from
reality.

Promotion of Harmful Products - There is hardly any regulation on public display

and promotion of products which tend to cause harm on people’s health – physical or
mental. Consumption of sugary sweetened beverages like Pepsi and Coca Cola can
lead to obesity, diabetes and overweightness especially among children but still they
are allowed to run unrestrained marketing campaigns and have one of the most
active on-screen presence. Disclaimer regarding high sugar content and other
nutritional information is often hidden and out of clear view.
Environment Threats and Creating Bias– Many advertisers do not have regard for
our natural environment. Their sole focus is on cost cutting and maximizing of gains.
Advertising campaigns comprise of billboards, pamphlets, posters and other tactics
which use loads of plastic, chemicals and other harmful material. Many political
parties invest millions of dollars in ads before an election campaign to sway the
voters and highlight their achievements.

It is undisputable that advertising misleads people by creating unrealistic expectations

and making unsubstantiated claims. All the visual imagery that only show healthy and
happy people instil self-doubt in people. Ads never truly portray the downsides of a
product or make an attempt to educate the consumer about responsible and judicious
use. With the boom of digital media and with large corporates like Google and
Facebook who only rely on ad money for revenue, it has become almost impossible
for a person with access to internet to stay away from ads. It is high time to give the
consumer the power and right to choose what kind of ads they want to see and to what
extent. Incessant promotions and display of ads has done more harm than good.