Click

-

Stop to smell the roses
It was the 80’s and I was proudly showing off my pocket transistor to my friends, a gift I had just received. Back then, only those who had uncles in the gulf owned such luxuries.
Every Wednesday I would tune into a sweet voice “Jee haa Dostoon… mein Ameen Sayani aapka humsafar Binaca Geetmalamein aapka swagat karta hoon” (Friends, I am Ameen Sayani your host tonight welcoming you to Binaca geetmala) I can never ever match his style. Sports commentary was the other favourite programme which my friends and I would remain glued to.
“The outfield is rough, score 3-1 Salimulah  passes the ball to Kalimulla, the two brothers playing to the midfield, Kalimulla passes the ball to Salimulla; Salimullah passes the ball to Kalimulla, Kalimmula to Salimulla and that’s a goal Oh it’s an offside the goal is dissallowed, the players fume in disbelief. 30 seconds left for the match to finish. Germany appears to be going comfortably into the finals.”
We enjoyed going up to the terrace, running up the mountains, or climbing up trees, just for fun and to get clear reception.
“Son, go fetch some groceries? Mom would say. “Sure, Mom” I would reply I would pick up my transistor and run.
Technology evolved, the transistor gave way to black and white television, a luxury in those days. Luckily my neighbour brought home the IDIOT BOX. That was the first time I dumped my girl friend at school for my sweet neighbour who had a TV at home. I would spend most evenings watching Chitrahar… film songs “la la la...”
On Sundays I would reserve my seat at the neighbours place to watch the movie, with friends. We would stare endlessly at the doordarshan logo before the opening music would start “Too…. Oooon”  Laughing, crying, enjoying the movie became a weekly routine.
“Son could you fetch some groceries? Mom would ask…”Sure mom, I will during the break” and would scamper off at full speed to get the groceries, hand it to mom and rush back to my seat.
With the advance in technology the idiot box found its way into every home. We no longer waited for the weekly get together to watch movies as each of us had a set at home.
“Son, I can make you dinner if you get some groceries? Mom would say. I would lazily drag my body and take the list without uttering a word.
In the late nineties, the walkman, colour television and the cable revolution brought in drastic changes in our lifestyles. We no longer depended on a single government run channel.  We had many options or should I say too many options. Movies, News, Songs...
I would plug my walkman and enjoy the music “Tu jo mere sur mein…” whether travelling, working or reading, the walkman would be my constant companion. It was the best way to relax on the train, only to be rudely awakened by urchins playing the harmonium and belching out a screeching song.”Pardesi Pardesi Janaa nahi...”
“Are you listening? I have been asking you to get me some groceries, will you?” Mothers never change J I would stare and grumpily slam the door in resentment. “Cant she ask Vinu, my younger brother to get them?” I would mumble.
Today, we have the iPOD, the ThinkPad, the Dish TV, Music, Movies and Masti on Mobile … I have them all and I have subscribed to 100 channels. I use two remote controls to manage.
My day is incomplete if I do not surf the 100 channels. After a tiresome day at work, I sink into my couch… not the casting couch and all alone pick up the remote to begin my journey…
  • Click – If I had to live my life without you leaving me, the days would be all be empty
  • Click –UFO picks up a cow from a village in Surat
  • Click – The male rhino is waiting cautiously for the female to make its move, it’s the breeding season
  • Click – He used to stalk the ladies at night. He would slit their throats and leave his mark a Beer can
  • Click – “Is it true? Why didn’t you tell me about your feelings? Why?
  • Click -
“Brillian, are you deaf? I have been screaming for the last 10 minutes, why don’t you go get some bread. If you want dinner” That’s Vaishali my wife. “I am not really hungry, however I could call up the grocer and he would deliver a loaf at home” I whisper… Friends, my paunch is not an indication of prosperity, its indicative of my laziness and technology created confusion.

Fun and frolick without worries

We have become remote controlled beings, click, off we go to office; click off to attend some development session, click back home only to lay our hands on the remote.
Just for a while, can we throw away the remote, enjoy life as we did during the good old days... CLICK

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Nudge!

-
Image
When was the last time someone nudged you? When was the last time you nudged someone? For me it happened by accident. A friend happened to chance upon the blog and asked me a pointed question " why did you stop writing? " ... as expected I had no answer. While contemplating this, the same evening I was a Judge at a school debating contest and was asked to motivate the students with a 3 minute talk. I decided to have fun and share my experiences which could help the kids become better as speakers, debaters and human beings. I thought I did a fairly good job of attempting to motivate them within 3 minutes. (My instant noodles were ready by then 😜) After the session as I was relaxing, the door bell rang, and a young lad in school uniform was asking for me. As I went out, he said " Sir, you spoke about CLKK & KKDS, it was really nice and I liked it. I came to thank you for that it is really true sir ". I blanked out completely and stood holding the door not knowing...
Read more

Black or white?

-
Image
Life is all about colours! At least this was what I thought till November 12, 2011. A life changing experience made me realise that many things are good, better in fact the “ Best ” in Black and White! The men who helped me change this perspective KP and Eric, the marvellous Streettogs ! Though I was initially reluctant to jump into the bandwagon, I braved all odds! Being a novice made me feel out of place few times. The drawings made from light, displayed awesome creativity and the eye for catching something that we would miss routinely! Honestly before the workshop I did not bother looking up for the drawings of these two gentlemen… I had been gifted a Nikon D3000 last year and I was in love with it! I used it occasionally to capture memories. I loved shooting nature, sunrises, sunsets, green, blue, red, yellow… this was about to change! Rules, rules and some more rules! We all love to hate rules! I love to know the rules, so that I know when I break it ;) Eric made it clear that we...
Read more

The Pause Effect!

-
Image
I love speaking as much as I love listening to speeches and learning from other speakers. This interest of mine has triggered a never ending thirst for seeking new knowledge . As a direct result of the habit, I end up buying a lot of books (it’s a different story – I don’t get to complete most of them). The recent one that I laid my hands on “ Speak like Churchill, Stand like Lincoln ” seems to be the black book for mastering Public Speaking. It's the title that enticed me to buy this book from flipkart.com – at an impressive 21% discount . After reading the initial introductions, forewords, afterwards, etc… the first chapter began! Hold your breath; it speaks about the importance and relevance of PAUSES . Drawing inspirations from Napoleon, Hitler, Churchill and many more – the chapter shares the relevance of the pause before beginning a speech! This ensures that the audience is all ears and you get to relax! It also has a mention of a great leader who had to pause for one fu...
Read more