What is Mobile No.??

Time and Date: 10.10 pm IST on Friday, 28th of April, 2006
Location: Bandra, Mumbai

I was on my way back home and …

Lolz!! Look at you!! Are you expecting a suspense thriller ahead?… Don’t have such high hopes!! Read on…

“What is this life full of care ?
We have no time to stand and stare.”
-W.H. Davies.

How aptly said indeed! Don’t forget, this was said when the scientific wonder viz., “Mobile Phones” did not exist. But if he lived today, I bet, he would have definitely reframed his lines as,

“What is this life full of care?
What we do is, only stand and stare!”

SURPRISED!! Still wondering as to what I am trying to hint at?
Let me explain……..

Yesterday, on my way back home, I saw this lady in the train, who completely ignored her colleague and kept talking to someone on the other end of her cell phone. This reminded me of yet another incident. Few months back, I went to meet a long lost friend of mine. A walk in a nearby park seemed to be the perfect way to relive our past memories. It was a breezy day. We had just started off with our talks, when all of a sudden…… the ‘monster mobile’ rang, interrupting our confabulation. A while ago we were two friends sharing our past experiences amidst such beautiful environs, and the next moment I was straight away out of the conversation. I probably ‘appeared almost invisible’ to my very dear friend. There I was STANDING & STARING! Hehe…

The thing that amazed me all the more then was that I wasn’t the only one suffering from such cellular atrocities! In that park I could see many others glued to their cell phones who walked past by us with just a blank stare, not even bothering to smile or at least say a gentle ‘hello’. Isn’t it funny that the very thing which ought to enrich communication is instead hampering it?

Friendship of consequences has become a thing of the past. (I’m contradicting one of my previous articles… But didn’t I mention before… that I’m a confused soul since birth!!) All we do these days is ‘stare’, unable to strike a friendly conversation with acquaintances because of an electronic gadget which is supposed to make communication easier! In fact, mobile mania has struck so hard that nowadays every Tom, Dick and Harry has one! As a matter of fact, even while traveling by trains you are not permitted to enter into a friendly chat with the person sitting next to you for he is ‘busy’ messaging unnecessarily or perhaps trying to get back his childhood by playing some dumb games on his cell phone! There again all you can do is …….STARE!

Emerson said,

“By trying to understand through
the medium of science, Nature;
as God has made it, we will
be creating miracles of our own!”

Yes, definitely ‘Mobile Communication’ is one such miracle we have always looked forward to; which brings you closer to the absent. But now it makes the people sitting just next to you feel absent!

By now you must be thinking that I am a sheer Luddite! But NO. I too own a cell phone!
I too cling on to it sometimes (or mebbe most of the times) and make my friends feel miserable (non-intentional you see!) I too appreciate the genuine purpose of mobiles but the unintended consequences surely make me cringe! It’s high time that we put up some techno-restrictions i.e. we have to observe some ‘Decent Mobile Mannerisms’, say;
--> No messaging unnecessarily, especially when you can turn over and say ‘Hi’ to someone.
--> Not to sideline friends for receiving calls unless really important.

I’ll be happier if you can add a few more to this list. (Hey all you friends out there… Don’t look at me like that… I promise I’ll try my best to follow them myself too!) All I’m trying to say is that, it’s no use showing off or being a techno-wiz; for it’s widening the gap between people.

I understand it’s a MOBILE AGE. Why should we be an exception? So, go mobile!
But, how?

All we need to do is, increase mobility in relationships, friendships and don’t give in to falsity. I bet there’s no other easier way to lead a happier life!!

Just as John Bunyan says—
“Here little and hereafter bliss
is best from age to age.”

- Ships