‘Baithak’ is a traditional South Asian term, and, as the very word implies, it is a physical place where people gather, like drawing rooms or common areas. Here, people sit to socialise, discuss, and hold meetings. It signifies A space for conversation, communication, solution of certain issues, and discussions of day-to-day topics related to daily affairs.
A few years back, men used to gather outside in the neighbourhood and discuss the problems and solve each other’s issues. In a light-hearted mood, men used to chat and relax after all day’s work, and children played games outside while women served tea and snacks. In this way, socialisation was so easy, and so was life.
The concept of baithak evolved from traditional domestic space to describe various modern social, artistic, and professional gatherings that emphasise community conversation. a cultural exchange, focused discussions and space for sharing ideas, Art galleries and cafes that provide food, art and intellectual discussion all in one space also serve as a baithak.
Baithak-style classical musical concerts have also become popular with comfortable floor seating arrangements. Baithak Sadequain and other Adabi Baithaks have recently opened in the Walled City, offering a place to experience Old Lahore’s heritage art and culture. The traditional culture of baithak faded due to urbanisation and changing lifestyles, and the spirit of baithak has now evolved in WhatsApp groups.
In modern times, the concept of WhatsApp groups has become the primary site for gossip, news, and social support. Our community life has now moved online, and this has changed the way we trust and interact with each other. Our neighbours are now contacts, and our street is a chat thread. Now, the ‘Digital Baithak’ has replaced all previous forms of baithaks, thereby changing the way we live.
Now there are all sorts of discussions, and also focused discussions and ideas shared digitally. There are communities and groups where everything is shared. No need to move out of the house or even the bed. Everything is at a click; snuggled in a blanket, everything reaches you, but how reliable it is is a big question.
Empathy, Patience, Love for neighbours, Care for people around, helping others, Solving others’ issues have all faded away, but one positive thing can still be seen in these art or literature digital communities or baithaks: you learn a lot without much effort. You learn not only what is happening around you but in the whole World.
So the conversation from neighbourhood square to digital baithak is a totally new mode of socialisation and discussion. It has both positive and negative implications. Now socialisation, communication and discussion have all squeezed into the use of mobile. Zoom meetings and video calls are various forms of it, too. The concept of Baithak has evolved, and so it has its own repercussions. The Digital Baithak has totally changed our lifestyle and nature.
The way adults have lost the neighbourhood baithak, the younger ones have lost the free communal spaces, parks, libraries and public squares. They once used to have unlimited opportunities for social interaction beyond home, school or university. It used to cost them nothing, except healthy time. These were free spaces for them. Now parks are empty, and so are libraries. Either children are seen playing video games digitally or reading digitally, so screen time has increased massively. No physical activity or sports can be seen. This has all affected their physical and mental health and growth alike.
A physically sluggish generation is rising with a lot of mental pressure and stress. This is a lonely generation and socially awkward, too. Instead of playing physical sports in parks, where entrance is free, the privileged children have shifted towards commercial private spaces, and this belonging comes with a financial cost. So those who are not rich enough to pay for these costly places feel deprived as they hear from their peer group about these artificial spaces with a lot of digital activities for children. So the gap between the rich and the poor has also massively increased.
To conclude, the loss of community interaction in the form of Neighbourhood Baithak and The Third Place has affected children, youth and the elderly alike. Not only physical but also mental health of the whole generation is being affected at a great pace, thus leading to a generation of hollow men devoid of empathy and emotions.