CRICKET FEVER

                              

                                  

Once again the epidemic is here in India: I mean the CRICKET FEVER! Has it ever subsided? The intensity might fluctuate but it is always rampant …. simmering…. What with the ICC World Cup here, TV channels are flashing cricket stories and special debates. FM radios are screaming cricket. Even in this exam-season, cricket matches are in full swing everywhere you turn - age no bar, size – of players, team and field – no bar!

I’m going to talk about cricket in my family. Of course we are not the Tendulkars or Gavaskars or Srikants. Just Balasubramonians – an aam Indian family with a fair share of cricket in us. As far as I’m concerned, I think I experienced the peak in the 80’s and early 90’s – that’s when my boys brought cricket home and to our system. Of course I had a wee bit of cricket in me – thanks to my brother who was an all-rounder and hero of gully cricket and who walked and talked and ate and drank and dreamt ‘cricket’! As for my hubby, he was born and brought up in Kerala – he was more into football than cricket. He admits playing cricket a couple of times – complete with the cricket set. I thought he must have traded his best possession to get into the paraphernalia. But he said, “I told the team I didn’t want to wear the pads and stuff but they insisted on the norms.” “But why wouldn’t you?” I was curious. He chuckled, “Oh, it would take me some 10 minutes to strap them on. But I’d last at the crease for only a minute – I’d be out with the first ball!”

So you see, regarding our talent in cricket, the less said the better! But our sons weren’t chips off the old block! Growing up in a sprawling army campus gave them the advantage of forming their very own cricket team, practicing for a couple of hours every evening. My elder son was a big hitter – the bat which earned him his highest three-digit score - still occupies a pride of place in our loft! Only it is now in a battered, bruised and plastered condition! The younger one was a great bowler – it happens, you see – it’s a matter of ‘whoever gets more practice in a particular genre is bound to excel in it’! And each had his own favorite idol – and that paved the way for many a clash between them. Junior would go gaga over Martin Crowe in his earlier days and Senior would promptly rap him, “What’s there to crow(e) about him?” and this would end in fisticuffs and even black eyes! Senior maintained an album with the best of the published photos from magazines. Junior was a relentless statistician who maintained hand-written books on the World Cup. I was expected to have all the records at my finger tips – even a little memory lapse on my part would be strictly reprimanded by the youngster!

Senior was the somber one, junior had his idiosyncrasies. I still remember the latter sitting up to watch the late night matches in March 1992 while appearing for his SSC examination. What struck me like lightning was the pre-exam discussion he and his friends indulged in – no, not the customary questions/ doubts about the subject of the exam but the previous night’s cricket match! When Martin Crowe climbed dizzier heights, sonny’s craze too expectedly escalated. The New Zealand team visited Bombay in the mid 90s. Junior was studying at IIT-B. He did some investigation to find out where the team was put up by calling the 5-star hotels posing as a journalist. He succeeded in locating them. He landed at the lobby of the hotel before 6.30 am – those were the pre-terrorist-days and so there were no security checks – of course the poor autograph-seeking-lad was armed only with some sketch pens and a sheaf of glossy paper cards. He succeeded in his mission – with a schoolboy’s excitement, he preserved the autographs of his favorite cricketers with the pen used for the purpose taped next to each!

Cricket stayed alive with junior even in the US – there were a group of Indian and Pakistani friends at his university. That reminds me, Anirban Bose, author of “Bombay Rains, Bombay Girls” was a member of the team! In fact sonny had asked us to get a good cricket bat and some half a dozen balls when we visited him in 2000. But the poor bat got separated from us at Mumbai airport and had to travel on its own – in the custom hold. When we went to collect it at JFK, it hadn’t arrived. The officials didn’t know what a cricket bat looked like and we had to give a picturesque description of it. They promised to trace it and send it to Rochester but we had no hopes. Our son and his friends were truly disappointed. But we were in for a surprise within a week – the bat landed at our doorstep! Matches were excitedly arranged; the balls got lost in quick succession at the enthusiastic attempts to hit sixes and fours! Eventually with the team members graduating and leaving the university one after another, the team disintegrated. My son too has moved over to golf…. And by the way, he chose to buy a brand new Audi as soon as he took up a job and realized his childhood ambition - you see as an eight year old, he had been fascinated by the Audi car Ravi Shastri won after setting the TV screen ablaze with those sixes!

My elder son wasn’t lucky with cricket in the US – he now finds joy in playing with his little girl at home with a mini cricket bat he’s taken from India and entertaining her with his running commentary. He too has switched over to his second love – tennis. But as we all know, Indians can never build up immunity to cricket fever – if they cannot watch every ball of the match live at the stadium or on the telly, they will keep at least virtual contact with the game, thanks to the internet.

Every time there is a World Cup series, every Indian waits with bated breath with the same prayer - 'Good luck India! Bring home the World Cup!!'

© Copyright 2011. Brinda Balasubramonian.

Saluting the National Flag

26 January 2010 - this was the first Republic Day post-retirement – I missed the Flag-hoisting function at school. Not to worry, I consoled myself, and braced myself to pay honors to the tricolor in our housing society of some 400 flats/shops. Though a notice had been put up about Flag-hoisting at 9am, there was no stirring anywhere in the vicinity till well past 9! But by 9.30, the flag was hoisted followed by the National Anthem in the august presence of a very distinguished audience – of a dozen men (half of them senior citizens) and an equal number of children (who had missed school) and a sole lady (yours truly)! What made me cringe was that there were pockets of families on various missions dotting various points in the society but they did not bother to grace the occasion. Announce ‘Tombola’/ Orchestra program and you’ll have people of all age groups zooming in to have fun. Ditto for the 10-day Ganesh festival and 9-day Navratri Garba program when they’d not mind spending a couple of hours! But when it comes to the National Days, people just want to enjoy the holiday. Okay fine, grant it to them. But my question is whether their enjoyment will in any way be affected if they shell out 10 minutes to salute our national flag?

Agreed 90% of the population was not witness to our freedom struggle. So what? Haven’t they studied it in detail in history? If that was too long ago to revive patriotic spirit, surely they must have refreshed their memory while teaching / revising with their kids recently. What better way to inculcate patriotic fervor in our kids than practicing the imbibed values? Everyone need not become a soldier to serve the motherland. The least we can do is honor the flag – especially when we have a national function – that too in the neighborhood. Teachers are bound to attend at school, so they have it in their system – maybe that’s why I feel so strongly about the lack of reverence for the national function! Students too – many of them – make it a point to attend the school function for a variety of reasons. But it should not be just a part of the academic rigmarole. Again, we have witnessed students and teachers stand up in attention when the national anthem or ‘Vande mataram’ is played; everyone should continue to do so any time at any place without external monitoring. The values should sink in.

Today’s parents are very particular about their children’s personality and versatility and send them for various classes. My fear is that some bright brains might come up with ‘Values-inculcation Program’ – for a hefty fee and the ever-so-eager-and-enthusiastic parents would queue up to sign for that. Then what are parents for? Just for shelling out money to mould their offspring? Wouldn’t they like to have an imprint of their individuality in their children’s personality? Children imperceptibly imbibe the culture at home and so it is the parents’ prime responsibility to be role models if they wish their kids to be good citizens. That requires them to tread with caution at every step and endeavor to project themselves in worthy light. So remember, my dear friends – a little sacrifice now and then is really worthwhile.

© Copyright 2011. Brinda Balasubramonian.

y worth it!

ADIEU, DEAR FRIEND

My intimate friend Kavita Tahiliani breathed her last a week ago leaving a vacuum in a corner of my heart – she was one of a kind – a rare example of a true friend. Her last 25 days were in the ICU, most of the time on ventilator – otherwise she would have fought tooth and nail to get back home!

Her traits – simplicity, straightforwardness, down-to-earth practical nature, hospitality, generosity, loyalty, punctuality… Add to it a dash of gullibility, eccentricity and innocence and you can conjure up her persona.

                     

We met as colleagues – she was a very senior teacher when I joined though she was only two years older than me – she had joined while doing graduation and I waited to finish my doctorate before joining. 

Lady-teachers of our Jr. College with our Principal

Both of us were language teachers – she teaching Sindhi and myself English. And we had our similarities and differences. She was more logical and I emotional. Both of us shared a love for performing arts and a flair for writing.  We complemented and supplemented each other very well in our joint activities at work. 

                             

I have referred to her in an earlier post – she was the organizer and I the arranger of cultural programs in school and college. 

Staff presenting a medley on our Jr. College's Silver Jubilee function

She was not a great singer but she was game for anything and would joyfully join us in our group songs on special occasions. 

                   

Both of us were in charge of the annual school magazine, 'Phoolistan' released every 26th Jan. We were close associates at work sharing an excellent rapport; we stayed in the same locality, so anyone bumping into one of us would surely inquire about the other.

And we did car pool. She started accompanying me when I started off as a novice driver – she didn’t know the ABC of driving but she was a great morale-booster with a kind of ‘main hoon na’ attitude! I really admired her courage ‘in putting herself at risk’ and even told her that I would have hesitated if I were in her place. She just pooh-poohed the whole thing saying, “An accident will happen if it has to happen – even when we are walking on the road”. She would park herself next to my car 10 minutes before schedule and I’d have my husband chasing and hurrying me through the early morning chores on catching a glimpse of her through the window. And I’d be like – ‘grr… did she have to be so early?’ You see I am a stickler for punctuality but she was ‘extra-punctual’! So whether it was question papers or assessed papers, you know who would lead the band of teachers in the submission. But there never was any compromise in the quality of work which was accomplished with complete sincerity in spite of her several health problems.

Kavita was a very loyal and trustworthy friend keeping away from rumors and gossips. But she had an unenviable memory – forget about her friends’ birthdays and wedding anniversaries, she couldn’t remember her own! So we took extra effort to remind her of hers!

She was the epitome of hospitality – so much so that there were times when I’d dread to go to her place as she’d almost kill with her kindness. She’d bring out one snack after another if I said ‘no’ to any of her offers. And how many times can one refuse? I soon learnt that the best way to escape was to submit to her at the outset and nibble a bit from the spread laid out.

It was Kavita’s idiosyncrasies that made her so lovable! Diabetes was her bosom pal even before I had come in the picture. She struggled with courage to keep it under her thumb but many a time the latter enslaved her. Her suffering and helplessness made her gullible – she’d try any new unproved and unapproved introductions in the market making tall claims of diabetes-control – it took her almost a year to realize the worthlessness of a special diet couriered in a special kit for a whopping price from the southernmost tip of the country. She’d try out novel recommendations but she didn’t have enough trust in doctors and hospitals – she felt she knew her body more than them! She held on to this view and even managed to get herself discharged from hospital several times! Her universal prescription for any pain for anyone was ‘Combiflam’ – she would gulp them down like toffees in spite of our well-meaning advice against it – she’d unabashedly prescribe it for us too! She could be as stubborn as a mule and we could do nothing about it. She was an astrology-freak and she knew I wasn’t into it, so we never discussed it. She had a disarming innocence. 

The last time we met – in December end, we were discussing about a function for which both of us had expected an invite but hadn’t received. The very next day she called to say she had got the invite and offered to take me too. It took her some time to understand why I declined.

Though Kavita had taken voluntary retirement due to health problems, she continued to make contributions to keep alive the language she loved – Sindhi. Life was a roller-coaster ride for her but whenever we met, I’d be overwhelmed by her puffed up face and body and toothless smile but she’d be cheerful and never harp on her poor health. She always radiated positive vibrations. Last year when I was in the US, a friend had mailed me about her critical condition in hospital. She battled valiantly and romped home. I called her up and chatted up for half an hour – I could sense a child’s excitement on hearing my voice.

The last time I called her was to greet her for New Year. She was hospitalized on 3^rd. I expected her to rally forth and return home as usual but sadly it was not to be though her beloved husband had provided all the love and care and medical treatment. To end on a positive note, her pain and suffering ended and she has attained heavenly abode. May her soul rest in eternal peace!

 © Copyright 2011. Brinda Balasubramonian.

PET PACKAGE

My favorite pastime during my stay in the US was to glance through the weekly ads from various stores which landed at our doorstep and compare prices of same items in different stores – just for the heck of it. There was this rare pamphlet from Wal-Mart about a set of products at “Unbeatable prices that’ll make you sit up and take notice” which completely bowled me over! I tell you it did make me ‘sit up and read’ the details of the advertised products.

One food product Friskies claims – “4 delicious varieties. Enticing aromas, appealing shapes, and delightful flavors. 100% complete nutrition, including essential fatty acids and antioxidants”. Another – ‘Whiskas’ – cries out “Assorted flavors. Special flavor-lock pouch seals in flavor and natural juices.” Mouth-watering stuff, eh?

Next are the supplements –“Keep them young, energetic and sassy. With supplements that boost their health”. Sure, you’d say, why not – it’s great to be health-conscious?! (If I had to) I’d go for the one that advertised “Supports joint health and function. With vitamin C to promote healthy collagen growth. 60 tasty, chewable tablets.” Hm… sounds good.

I’ve heard of toilet training but ‘Training pads’? The ad proclaims “10 times more absorbent than newspapers. Controls odors. Built-in scent encourages elimination on the pad”. Snort! What more will we invent?

Well there are no diaper ads, but wipes, yes – ‘Fresh Step’ boasts of “Fresh, clean scent. Easy way to clean litter box and scoop”. Any guesses about the potential customers for these products?

Here’s another clue - ‘New Advanced nutrition. For total body health.’ – “Formulated by nutritionists and veterinarians for optimal health. Includes total body health benefits.” “Glossy coats. Shining eyes. Longer life. Our pet foods really deliver.”- This is the signature line for Rachael Ray Nutrish – “Essentially formulated for your dog’s life stage….No artificial flavors or preservatives. 2 flavors: Chicken and Veggies or Beef and Brown Rice.”

 Now no prizes for guessing who the ads are directed at – yes, the ads are indeed about various pet products – some yummy treats and food for cats (Friskies, Whiskas, Special Kitty…), others especially for dogs (Pedigree, Nutrish, Ol Roy, Purina One…). Such a variety in food and health supplements – manufactured to health-and-nutrition-specifications - almost vying with those available for kids or adults!! I am bowled over by the variety of flavors and flavor-lock pouches, supplements and what not! Oh yes, there are also pet beds, toys… My pamphlet claims – “walmart.com/petscenter has great pet tips.” Visit our online Pets Center for toys, bedding, crates, and houses, plus supplies for fresh fish, wild birds, and other small pets. Pet Q & A answers many questions about nutrition and general healthcare, behavior, training, and living happily with your furry, feathered and finned friends.” Wow, new pet-owners must be thanking this site and visiting it at every emergency just as new parents still rush to Dr. Spock’s book or seek help online! We see these ads on TV too – if I’m not mistaken, I’ve seen more commercials on pet products than baby products!

 

During my next visit to Wal-Mart, my kindled curiosity leads me to the aisles I used to skip earlier – the pet products aisles which have all those products advertised and more…. Soon I realize this is just the tip of the iceberg! There is a lot more to come – an array of unimaginable sophisticated products for pets. While flying back, as I was flipping the pages of ‘Sky Mall’ my eyes popped out on seeing some advertisements bound to catch the eye of indulgent pet-owners – more about them in a bit.

Pets are adorable – no doubt – and they are family too. But how many of us in India stack special food for them? They’d fondly be offered what the family eats - with an occasional specialty dish cooked exclusively for them or recently introduced ‘pet’ food from the supermarket. Out there in the US, pets enjoy an enviable status – if there are no kids to compete for attention, they are the sole apple of their parents’ eye, even if the household has kids, no worry, as they have a unique status in the family.

Imagine you get yourself a pet – a pup or a kitten. It is as if you have had/adopted a baby – you need to stack a rack with special food varieties, health supplements - you have seen the array of products flooding the market. You won’t stop with that –– just as you lovingly set up the baby’s room, you’d be happy to provide your pet with something more, something special - may be a little ‘house’ or a ‘zone’ with a special bed, cozy seat, plate-bowl & accessories for meal time, bath essentials, toys to keep them entertained… You can choose from some interesting products adorning the aisles of Wal-Mart – super/sofa scratcher / scratching post, oval/round cat basket/ ‘love bucket’/ lounger! Or dog products – dog toys/feeders, dog beds, collars & leashes, dog treats, breakfast bites, chew toys and pet taxis, dog apparels, sweaters, even accessories such as purses and hats / bows and ties – for the party-hoppers! So they can even boast of their own wardrobe collection!

And even as you indulge yourself in identifying and improving their motor and mental skills as you play with them and remembering to keep the place pet-safe soon you will have the unenviable task of potty-training them. You can depend on Sky Mall products to help you out. A Comfy Couch with a bone-shaped pillow in various sizes for dogs of different sizes, or Indoor/Outdoor Dog Bed or tent is nothing unusual. But then there is ‘Neater Feeder’ useful for messy eaters to keep pet food and water spills separately collected for easy clean up or ‘Motion-activated alarm’ to train your pets to stay off your furniture or countertops or ‘Pup STEP Plus’ for pets needing help getting on to their favorite couch or bed – all of which are indeed unique! I realize that bringing up pets is no less than child-rearing! Potty training is a milestone and there are a range of indoor Restroom products ideal for high-rise dwelling dogs and cats – some simple – with an irresistible scent to draw your dog to a designated area of your yard or to the portable potty to relieve him while some are more sophisticated with pop-up sprinklers. The ‘Litter Robot’ for cats is a self-cleaning litter box, transferring waste into a trash bag for easy disposal so that you don’t have to use your gloves and scoop. But the piece de’ resistance is ‘Litter Kwitter 3 Step Cat Toilet Training System’ (including Step-by-step training DVD) ensuring that the cat will eventually use your regular toilet - claiming “Potty training your cat can be faster than most people can potty train their kids”.( In that case won’t more people prefer pets!). As if all this is not enough, ‘The Canine Genealogy Kit’ analyzes your dog’s DNA and identifies the breeds in its ancestry and its dominant characteristics. So you see, you can definitely go bonkers if you choose to pamper your pet. Well, if you want your pet to accompany you on the flight or cruise to your dream vacation, do it in style with Pet Wheel-away or a more stylish and expensive ‘Lambskin Leather Pet Carrier’ - all the better if you have groomed your pet with the ‘Pet Styling System’ available for in-home grooming!

This brings to mind the news “Oscar’s world woof tour” about which I had read in RD (April 2010).Accompanying his owner Joanne Lefson who funded this epic journey by selling off her home, this globe-trotting pooch with passport in paw, during his 220 day tour across 29 countries of five continents had stopovers at “some of the world’s most famous landmarks – from the Pyramids of Egypt to New York’s Statue of Liberty” to “publicize the plight of the world’s strays.” What takes the cake is the tidbit – “The proud pooch and his owner even got “married” in Las Vegas – vowing to promote the adoption of shelter dogs till death do them part”!

After all this it’s not impossible for you to imagine that pet owners go in for insurance schemes for their pets, right? Guess it is practical wisdom as it will see them through visits to veterinarians. I have seen hired ‘dog walkers’ in TV serials. But we came across a DINK couple who have opted for a pet for obvious reasons seeking a ‘baby sitter’ for their two-month old kitten! I won’t be surprised if I find ‘day care’ for pets during my next visit!

Then there is this Awards Show on TV, no not Emmy or Grammy but Fido Awards – for dogs. What next? I bet it’s going to be Reality Shows on TV to showcase pets’ talents – and pray, why not – aren’t they winsome and talented too?! Hm….so it’s not a ‘dog’s life’ for the pets, nay, far from that! Remember their master pays for their comfort and joy and also scoops their poop after them. Didn’t someone say it’s better to be born a pet in America than a human being anywhere!

© Copyright 2011. Brinda Balasubramonian.

'CALL' CULTURE

He is one of a kind – my hubby, who else? So he’s gone without ‘it’. Of course he doesn’t own one as he has a love-hate relationship with ‘it’. I wanted him to take mine, you see – so that he could call me on our landline – on reaching the airport, on boarding the flight, on landing in Bangalore after an hour’s flight, on getting into a prepaid taxi, on checking into the hotel…. – some half a dozen calls in some 260 minutes. At least he’ll be on my radar…..

This is precisely what’s happening in today’s world – every family has its own network of connection which enables every member to be easily tracked. Such is today’s ‘call culture’ - connectivity is rapid, almost instantaneous, easy and cheap. People have become extremely accessible – anywhere, anytime – I really wonder whether our privacy should become so public!

The very first thing a person does on reaching the workplace is make a call home about the safe reach. Agreed commute has become so tough and hazardous in India that it warrants this. Or is it a matter of ‘have the convenience, use it - after all it costs a negligible amount’? May be but then weren’t we fine even before the telecom revolution? I cannot but take a walk down memory lane to etch the path of rapid progress in the telecom field in our country through the decades….

Four decades ago, when I got married and set up home several states away from my parental home, I had some one hundred and eleven little news to convey every alternate day to my family. Letters were my sole mode of communication as I had no phone connection. Also no STD booths existed those days. Emotionally-charged-four-pages-stuffed 25 paise envelopes would be exchanged on a regular basis between my family and me. Sometimes it would be the 15-paise-3-page-blue inlands with even the inner folds crammed with words. We did not mind the criss-crossing of our letters or the expected-unexpected postal delays. My father had once or twice called up hubby on his department phone to convey some important message.

Come early 80s and we had a couple of neighbours with phone connection and so my parents could make an occasional call and leave a message or better still, call for me. But we never made a request to use their phone except in an odd emergency. The late 80s witnessed the sprouting of STD booths in every street and so we got to make STD calls to our near and dear ones when we felt like. But conversations during outstation calls were kept brief as eyes would be riveted on the charge-meter. Those staying farthest got less talk time from us while the more closely-located ones got a better deal – you see the out-station calls those days were charged according to the distances. Of course local calls were made but only when necessitated.

What about the kids, you’d ask! Well what about them - they knew what to expect – they got to be with their friends at school from 8 to 3.30 and they didn’t expect more! Of course they had some friends staying at biking distance from home where they could drop in for fun or need. As for friends staying in different pockets of the city, letters were exchanged - during vacations, that is! This way the thrill registered in the excitement-meter was high when friends occasionally got together.

In the early 90s our phone connection arrived – quicker than the expected 5 year wait! And in good time too! What with my sons moving into a hostel in another city, we were finding it inconvenient to reach them using the STD booth and they couldn’t call us back! So the landline came as a boon as we got to talk to them at least every weekend. Outstation calls became a little more frequent - just a little - as STD rates were still high and conversations never meandered to ‘What’s for lunch?” / “How’s the weather there?” – or such rambling pointless stuff that hardly mattered but remained crisp, brief and to the point!

Towards the beginning of the new millennium our sons had moved to the US and they would call us every weekend. We didn’t have ISD facility on our landline – the rules were stringent and involved a lot of paper work and a sizeable deposit. ISD call rates from India were high in comparison with the US and so it was better they called us. Four years later we had free ISD connection too and we also started making overseas calls. Needless to say our calls within the country had grown in frequency and duration – weekly calls had transformed into daily calls with a hearty exchange of the trivial tidbits of our daily lives.

Along with this dawned the cell phone culture which saw the janta going gaga over it – at least I felt they were going overboard! Call it middle class mentality - I’d rather call on the landline for greater clarity and duration (read economy) as compared to the cell phone. I still can’t see any logic when a friend calls me on the cell phone when both of us have landline connections and both of us are not in the mobile mode – the former call is charged by the minute while the latter is charged by every three minutes! In case some of my otherwise calculative friends didn’t know this equation, all I have to say in explanation is - if you speak to a friend for 10 minutes, the difference in the calls is a good 6 rupees. (Or am I missing something?) And pray, how many such calls are made? If the person is not available and the message is urgent, then it’s a different story.

I have a cell phone alright, but I use it judiciously – I have my usual schedule of ‘missed calls’ – to our landline – on reaching my work place and on starting back. This ‘missed call’ culture runs in the family – originally started by my brother in the early 70s when he’d give two rings to his classmate to signal that he was starting from home and would be picking him up in ten minutes. My son continued this with his friend staying above our flat – the signal ‘ring’ would bring both the boys to their balconies for a face-to-face chat. The boys hadn’t missed out on a similar communication even in the pre-phone days! They were enterprising enough to devise a crude device to work like Graham Bell’s invention – metallic pieces attached to both ends of a rope running between the two balconies and touching the floors. A couple of tugs at the rope would produce a metallic sound and bring out the boy at the other end to the balcony to answer the ‘call’! Soon we elders too caught the bug and used the ‘two-ring’ code technique on our telephones.

I still have a preference for my telephone any day. After all that lecture on thrift, what will you say when I admit that I spend 30-40 minutes on ISD calls indulging in baby-talk with my grand kids? All I can say in self defence is - that is a priceless experience! I do call up and have a long chat with my friends too – I say this lest you should consider me an introvert! But then I have to admit that I use my more economical landline. I won’t attribute this attitude to miserliness but to judiciousness!

Another point is I’d rather speak to persons face-to-face – so when I go for my walk I don’t carry my cell phone as I know I’ll bump into plenty of friends to make conversation in flesh and blood and don’t want to miss out on the opportunity. Many who come for evening stroll, take it as an opportunity to have long conversations on their cell phone with God-knows-who. By the way I don’t believe in talking about personal matters in public hearing!

My point is cell phones are for emergencies – not for hour-long chit-chats while you are walking or driving. Nevertheless mobile phones have come to stay as a fashion statement - and let’s be honest – they are a boon especially for those on the move!

© Copyright 2011. Brinda Balasubramonian.

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