PHONILICIOUS!!

Hellooo! What can I do for you? Don’t mistake this baritone for a human’s voice. Its just your Chic and elegant phone speaking to you. Your best mechanical friend at your assistance in moments of happiness as well as despair. No wonder, Bell’s invention has undergone a massive metamorphosis. After all “Change is inevitable”.

Mobile Phones, the smart ones or the ordinary, 4.7-5.3-6.40 inched screen, android-symbian-bada interface blah blah version n.1.2….∞ , multi-focused,  multi-pixels, master of zooming power (empowering the binoculars and in race with telescope, to be precise) with many more features have become an integral part of one’s life. Your companion of morning ablutions too!!!

Before I go in a pensive mode and travel across my past timeline, let me pass by my mother’s childhood memory about phone. I see, she used to call her father from a neighboring telephone booth (now almost an extinct species!!) or a Kirana shop in his office only in case of something important or urgent. The calls were meaningful and of Lilliputian duration. 

 Now passing through my memory maze, I see telephone in every house to be a rare commodity. It was a static dibba with no style statement. A few rounds of a dial present over the number strip were apt to connect to someone contrary to today’s quick hover of my fingers over the phone screen even in my slumber. Phone ring (enough to pierce deep through the ear-drum) appeared melodious to my ears (even today, I miss that vintage tone!) opposite to nowadays’ swarm of ringtones enough to confuse you.

It used to rest in my grandma’s room at an unreachable height from me. Her permission was a prerequisite even if I had to speak to my school friend (to ask homework in case I took leave!). However, now times have changed and she needs my 7 year old cousin’s consent to touch her personalized phone. Don’t believe me how children are turning into mobile freaks?? Take a small exercise. Try serving ‘the fresh fruit’, next time your kid demands an ‘Apple’ and do share the reactions!!

Coming back to present, I visualize phone to be a much more dynamic and customized entity which keeps us in contact with knowns/unknowns via various modes. It has internet access – a cloud ready to burst with multifarious entertainment and infotainment options. Also, most of the preloaded apps and games are quite engaging (Although, I disapprove of replacement of my smiling Mario by the Angry Birds!!).

Many a times we have read boards like “Pets not allowed” outside various institutes or religious places. These days we see “Phones not allowed/Keep your phones switched off”. You see! Your mobile behavior is gaining importance. Despite all this, if I give my neck a complete 360° spin, I would find at least 70% people busy with it before the mandatory separation stated. 

But if I go by my elders’ verdict, phones are facilitators of chaos and disturbance. According to them, Smart phones are furnishing me into a bubblehead. They are leading to degradation of my mind power as I purchase Tera-sized plastic memory to store everything ranging from phone no.s, Birthday/Anniversary dates, sticky notes, office work and what not! You’ll be amazed to know that one of my teachers proposed to observe a Mob—fast at least twice a week to prevent myself from turning into a telemaniac. Do you think it’s easy??

Hard to stay without smart phones and harder to stay with them!!