At 7 pm, this village logs off
Strap: Each evening, a siren signals a Karnataka village to switch off screens & reclaim two quiet hour
Blurb:
In a time when debates around screen addiction are usually confined to expert panels and policy papers, Halaga has taken the conversation to the ground & hit the power switch
OB Bureau
As dusk settles over Halaga village of Belagavi taluk, something unusual happens. The glow of television screens fades, mobile phones go silent and a village switches itself off.
Every evening at 7 pm sharp, a siren from the Gram Panchayat office signals the start of Digital Off, a grassroots experiment that is quietly rewiring daily life in this Karnataka village.
For the next two hours, until 9 pm, televisions are turned off, mobile phones are put away and attention shifts back to books, homework and household conversations. The idea is simple but bold – cut screen time to sharpen young minds.
Halaga’s initiative takes direct aim at the growing addiction to mobile phones and television cutting across age groups. The focus, villagers say, is firmly on children, especially students preparing for the crucial SSLC examinations.
Parents have been urged to actively ensure that the two-hour digital blackout is honoured, turning evenings into dedicated study time rather than scrolling sessions. The response, locals say, has been overwhelmingly positive.
“This is one of the steps taken for the education of children. We want to create a disciplined environment for them,” a former Gram Panchayat president told a news agency. He also flagged concerns about excessive screen exposure, calling it unsafe for growing children.
The impact is being felt beyond school desks. Women in the village, long accustomed to evening television serials, have also embraced the pause, swapping screen time for family interaction and household engagement.
Local resident Rohit Yallurkar says the change has been visible. “Turning off TVs and mobile phones for two hours every day has helped children focus better on their education,” he said, pointing to improved attention and calmer evenings.
What makes Digital Off stand out is that it isn’t enforced by fines or rules. Participation is voluntary, driven by collective agreement rather than compulsion. It’s a rare thing in the age of constant connectivity.
The campaign has now drawn attention as a model for other communities grappling with technology overuse. In a time when debates around screen addiction are usually confined to expert panels and policy papers, Halaga has taken the conversation to the ground and hit the power switch.
Becoming of a movement
Across India, there are examples of quiet villages and cautious governments beginning to experiment with life beyond constant screens and the results are drawing attention far beyond their boundaries.
The Halaga initiative draws its inspiration from Mohityanche Vadgaon, a village in Maharashtra. In this village, similar digital detox has been unfolding with clockwork precision.
Every evening, a siren sounds through the village, signalling residents to turn off televisions and mobile phones for a fixed window. Children swap reels for books, families talk instead of scroll, and streets briefly reclaim their calm.
The initiative, introduced by the village leadership, gained momentum during the pandemic, when online classes pushed screen time to unhealthy extremes. Its success has since inspired neighbouring villages to follow suit.
The concern is no longer niche. In Haryana, the state government has taken a policy-led approach, introducing weekly “digital fasting” days for young school students. The idea is simple – reduce screen exposure, encourage offline learning, and rebuild habits of reading, play and family interaction.
What sets Halaga apart, however, is the community-led discipline behind its experiment. There are no penalties, no policing just a shared understanding that two quiet hours can make a difference.
As India debates digital addiction in policy papers and parenting forums, these communities offer a simpler message: sometimes, progress begins by switching off. And in an age of endless connectivity, that may be the boldest experiment of all.