Communication

It was probably when i was in class 7 that land-phones started to become both very popular and plenty. Even though we managed not to have one for quit some time. I was probably in class 10 that we got a land phone. I remember before having the phone how we twisted our brains to find an alternative to say than "hello" after picking up the receiver. But till today we have been saying "hello". I think best of the things happen before the marking events, like we took time thinking an alternative while planning for the phone, but after having it we succumbed to the trend.

Then it was the turn of mobile phones. It was an discount offer to my brother which was the invitation pass for the first mobile in our house. I was probably in school at that time and got my personal mobile when i was in college 1st year.

Then came the broadband internet connection. The entry of it marked a huge change in everything. We got a connection after my campusing and i was in probably 3rd year of college.

I had to wait for all these a little bit more to become available to me, as i had to convince people that they will be fruitfully used. Now sometimes i feel that it would have been better if they were scarce. They made communication so easy that the warmth of communication is nowadays just the electronic voice or depends upon the speed of your typing. Commitments became easy as you can change them even at the last moment. New offers encouraged more communication. Speaking all day with your loved ones.This morning they got angry,by the afternoon they are happy. Emotions got diluted.Time got compressed.What you would have done in a day it now took only minutes. But the heart got broken. Chat services in internet made people available all the time. But i still think that phone call once a day (when there was not so many offers and internet) was warmer than anything. I would give away my mobile,my computer just to have one of those days back.Free sms services in mobile tempts people, but nothing comes free.You save your money and pay for it with something else.If i knew someone is sms-ing me after considering spending money,it would have more warmth than someone who is doing so just because of an offer. A relationship which is based upon offers are bound to be different than one without any boundary.What value a gift has if there is no sacrifice for it? Communication is bound to get as cheap as pebbles if these advancements are not understood.Mobile and chat services probably destroyed what land phones started to build.

Under the sky

It was my brother who first started the habit of going to the rabindra sarobar lake and jog. He was trying to improve his driving and going to the lake in the morning in his new car served the purpose well. Later on i joined him in the backseat and an old friend, from my badminton club used to join us there. It was winter time and the night was long. That morning started with the usual groaning, cursing, fighting with the rag to get out of the bed, opening the door silently so as not to wake up our parents, brushing, wearing the same old red pant, getting into the car, enjoying the drive specially when we were on the bridge at "manna'r khabar" towards the lake. Upon reaching the lake we found that we were a bit early and the morning was a bit late that day. People were just starting to come around. After taking a couple of steps we were attracted by a small no. of people in the field looking at something. It did not take us long to find out that there on the field a dead man was lying facing the open sky. He was wearing a "like those from the old films" kind of heavy brown spectacle under which the eyes were shut. His hands were not like that of "jesus christ" posture but they were under his head probably serving the purpose of a pillow.He was wearing a cheap, light blue t-shirt with color and a cotton pant. As he was lying at a corner of the field were the grasses grew long, half of him was haphazardly under the grass. Within minutes police came and we had to clear out. The man was probably high on alcohol the previous night. But the way he lay gave a peaceful image betraying all the pain of an odd death. Probably in one night he has seen more than what we long to see. Maybe the movements of the stars amazed him or the rotation of the earth made him dizzy. Probably that night he understood the complexities of the philosophical truths, in a very simple way. Maybe he found the presence of god with him, around him. Realized that "creators and creations cannot stay together." The funny thing is we know these quotes and surely he never knew them. Probably he realized it that night and had no intention to preach things and leave behind perhaps another religious order. Maybe that's why he went away with the night, the stars, the moon. Maybe those closed eyes that night saw too much that they refused to open anymore.


[picture @ advertisement on the bridge]