The chirping of the birds, the low hoots of the auto rickshaws, the cacophony contributed by the street dogs, the sound of a bike roaring down the lane. Yes. It was early morning. I was in the same state as Frost, after he was finished with picking apples in one of his poems “After Apple Picking “. It was a state between sleepiness and being conscious of the surroundings. The tranquility was then spoilt by the sound of my shrieking alarm and the calling bell, ringing simultaneously, not giving me time to choose between the two. Struggling to turn off the shrieking alarm bell, I stumbled out of bed and opened the door to face a fat woman in a dull flowery saree, sporting a Nokia N- series model in one hand and a packet of milk on the other. My jaws flew open at the sight of the mobile and she gave me a weird look, as if I was going to snatch it from her. I smiled to myself, thinking how much the lifestyle of the folks in the big city has changed. Since I had started the day with an amusing thought, I decided to keep my eyes open to more encounters with the folks with “branded” mobiles.
All through the day, I kept count of the number of people (whom we basically refer to as the “lower income” class) showing off flashy mobiles. Though not all owned a Sony Ericsson (z-800i) nor N-series models, most of them at least had the basic models costing about a minimum of around Rs.1500.What has caused this “mobile exposure-explosion”? Thanks to the mobile phone companies increasing day by day. Reliance,Airtel,Aircel,Hutch and soon we’ll be seeing Univercell, Airvoice and more to come. Everything we do adds to the companies’ funds. There’s stiff competition between these companies in advertising and marketing all of which ends in a reduction in the charges, basically more talk time and more validity. This can be one of the reasons to why people have suddenly gravitated towards usage of cellular phones. Not to forget the hidden charges. The connection providers make clever moves. If it’s a day which calls for a national celebration, obviously a national holiday, some connections charge for the SMS which is generally free otherwise. More corporate services would charge on the day before itself, without the slightest hint to the user who would eventually end up with a miserably low balance after wishing his kith and kin “Happy Independence Day”, a day ahead,like a true patriot! There was a time when people used phones only to talk. The sole purpose of the invention of mobiles was the easy accessibility and transportation. The primary mobiles offered not only this but other exclusive features – SMS, MMS, GPRS, Camera, surfing, games, music player, Radio, IR, Bluetooth, etc followed suit. All this in one phone. The price – hikes up with every utility. The brand new Blackberry phone (palmtop model) is a computer by itself, held within the palm. With such developments in technology, it is hard to ignore the shift in lifestyle of the people. The “mobile fad” was initially a matter of adaptation to a developing technology which slowly blew out of proportion into an issue of high esteem, “a matter of honour”. The “it’s IN” generation consider mobile as a fashion weapon, a Trend Setter. In a peer group, a brand new model can win more raised eyebrows than an honorary royal title. Media can make people go crazy. Bonkers over national issues. One fine example is the voting campaign for Taj Mahal. Every vote by SMS was charged. Finally the companies profited from the voting expedition and UNESCO decided to forgo the decision taken by SMS voting. Exploitation on open grounds, without doubt! The right object in wrong hands is synonymous to kids owning mobiles at the wrong age. The Delhi incident is still boiling at some corners of the country. Though we can go on and on about the ill effects of the technology, mobiles still have a soft corner in people’s hearts. They have become soul mates of loners, lovers and loafers. The only difference is in the way each person views it. Life has sure become an easy affair with mobiles around. Lending a helping hand now and then, sometimes, no hands required (hands free)!
All through the day, I kept count of the number of people (whom we basically refer to as the “lower income” class) showing off flashy mobiles. Though not all owned a Sony Ericsson (z-800i) nor N-series models, most of them at least had the basic models costing about a minimum of around Rs.1500.What has caused this “mobile exposure-explosion”? Thanks to the mobile phone companies increasing day by day. Reliance,Airtel,Aircel,Hutch and soon we’ll be seeing Univercell, Airvoice and more to come. Everything we do adds to the companies’ funds. There’s stiff competition between these companies in advertising and marketing all of which ends in a reduction in the charges, basically more talk time and more validity. This can be one of the reasons to why people have suddenly gravitated towards usage of cellular phones. Not to forget the hidden charges. The connection providers make clever moves. If it’s a day which calls for a national celebration, obviously a national holiday, some connections charge for the SMS which is generally free otherwise. More corporate services would charge on the day before itself, without the slightest hint to the user who would eventually end up with a miserably low balance after wishing his kith and kin “Happy Independence Day”, a day ahead,like a true patriot! There was a time when people used phones only to talk. The sole purpose of the invention of mobiles was the easy accessibility and transportation. The primary mobiles offered not only this but other exclusive features – SMS, MMS, GPRS, Camera, surfing, games, music player, Radio, IR, Bluetooth, etc followed suit. All this in one phone. The price – hikes up with every utility. The brand new Blackberry phone (palmtop model) is a computer by itself, held within the palm. With such developments in technology, it is hard to ignore the shift in lifestyle of the people. The “mobile fad” was initially a matter of adaptation to a developing technology which slowly blew out of proportion into an issue of high esteem, “a matter of honour”. The “it’s IN” generation consider mobile as a fashion weapon, a Trend Setter. In a peer group, a brand new model can win more raised eyebrows than an honorary royal title. Media can make people go crazy. Bonkers over national issues. One fine example is the voting campaign for Taj Mahal. Every vote by SMS was charged. Finally the companies profited from the voting expedition and UNESCO decided to forgo the decision taken by SMS voting. Exploitation on open grounds, without doubt! The right object in wrong hands is synonymous to kids owning mobiles at the wrong age. The Delhi incident is still boiling at some corners of the country. Though we can go on and on about the ill effects of the technology, mobiles still have a soft corner in people’s hearts. They have become soul mates of loners, lovers and loafers. The only difference is in the way each person views it. Life has sure become an easy affair with mobiles around. Lending a helping hand now and then, sometimes, no hands required (hands free)!
2 comments:
Thats a really well written post.. I wonder why id int read it for all this while.. Great going...
well written post!! esp the last line "Lending a helping hand now and then, sometimes, no hands required (hands free)!"
its rite these services tke big time money 4m us! and yea its become a trend setter! u hve a mob, ur in the gang, u dnt have they luk upon u low, as though u dnt have a hanky or somethin!:D it is nw become more imp than r purse!
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