So, anyone who knows me better would know the legendary tales of my cell phones!! Yes, the plural is intended! For all those who have feeble remembrance and for those who are new additions to my friends list here is the account!My very first cell phone, was the big blue toughy – Nokia 3310!!! It was bought by my bro…I was stuck to it all day long, played snake – the only mobile game I ever learnt! I was very fond of it and flaunted it at every chance I had….until one day…..when I was in the front room (which was open to public view) of my office. I was waiting for a call…I did receive the call but on the office landline, so I ran to take it and after a chat of 15-20mins I hang up and start working on some files when I realize an essential part of my routine of checking for sms is missing – I rush to the front room to find my macho cell, only to realize it had found its new owner unknown to me!! I cried rivers over the loss of it!!
My brother again buys me a Nokia cell, with a promise from me to take very good care of it! After a lot of introspection I realized I lost the cell because I didn’t have a twine to it…so…this time I work on my mistake and buy a twine and always hanged it around my neck…..I felt this was safe….but not to forget, I don’t repeat my mistakes I just make new ones every other time….so, this time, I attended this one wedding when I thought it was drastically against the dress code to hang the cell around my neck and so put it in my bag, a bag which didn’t close properly (the fact which I ignored then)….and that was the last I saw of it….the phone was very conveniently pulled out – the twine made whosoever’s work easier!
Not very surprisingly, I was denied a mobile at home!
Months passed by and I had to go work in an other city for few months…..since, it was the first time I ever left home (to work outside of my city) it was vital that I stay in touch….so….I was “forced” to buy a new mobile…. I was bored of using (read it as ‘losing’) Nokia, so I bought a Sony Ericsson – which was THE most frail mobile I used till date, it had a flimsy keypad and was indeed very fragile! Now this is the best part – I don’t even remember why I discarded this one – I would have battered it to death or would have lost it!!
Then I took my brother's Samsung and another Sony – all very fancy, my first “color” phones, BUT again sadly I don’t remember how or why I parted with them! For all those people who have noticed the common trend in all these using-losing cell phones, YES, it was always my brother who bought all the lost ones for me… after a while he stopped doing it, to induce a sense of responsibility, he tried making me spend my money – it didn’t make much of a difference, I still lost plenty of them!!
In yet another instance, I had this Nokia 3230 – a very nice fundu phone (back then)….I dropped it down!! I don’t know how, it just fell and the screen had a fracture…the LCD had a major damage and I was suggested I call a Nokia care 24/7 customer service…I managed to get the number and called them….in the anxiety that the most expensive of my mobiles is on its journey to disaster, I started explaining the customer service executive what exactly I was seeing of the mobile – I told him “there are colorful juices flowing in the display screen, but I can't touch then, they are inside” – the executive on the other line was mum – I can bet anything, he put the phone on mute and laughed his heart out at the unembellished description I gave! I don’t remember a thing about that cell phone after this incident!
This one time, I put the mobile aside to pay the auto wala his fare and happy with the fact that I finally reached office, I stepped out of the auto and my cell still continued its ride into the city with him….I realized it when I was in the lobby of the office and I screamed (literally) in realization of my loss – the security and me both ran to the main road to try my luck and see if I could recognize the auto – all I had for description of the auto to explain to the security was “bhaiyya it had a green seat”!! “Green seat” an identification to single out an auto in zillions that were there???
Oh yeah and this one, you should know – most hilarious (until the next happened) – I was in the US of A, my then fiancée and now husband had given me a phone to keep in touch during the visit…one day we were both to go out to meet someone and as usual I was the one who was the potential cause for delay and living upto it, I was late! To add to it, I was just not finding my hand phone…in hurry and an effort not to annoy him, I decided there wasn’t a burning need for me to spend half hour searching for the mobile in an already delayed schedule. So, I went out without that….happy to meet someone new and in all the excitement we got back home. What I see when I get back? his aunt had my cell phone in her hand….she smiled and held it up to me, the reason for the smile was – this one was found in the tracks I wore last night…..the reason isn’t complete yet – these tracks were put for wash and then in a 100% dryer – the phone got washed and dried! No ray of hope whatsoever!
Very recently, as recent as yesterday – it was that time of the year when I lose my mobile, but this time you will be surprised I still didn’t lose it, this one just went for water diving and choked itself to death….there were slight hopes still to recover, which I eradicated! I dropped the cell accidentally in the washroom and the rest is history…in obvious reflex and an effort to "cealn" it, I put it under running water!! When I realized what my reflexes did, I tried drying up all the parts, but it just wouldn’t recuperate – my mobile now refuses to work!!
Every time I lost a mobile, I cried…first it was like flooded rivers, then the intensity of the floods came down….and as the number of occurrences increased, the less I bothered to shed a tear, so much so that, I fail to remember the last mobile I cried for!! Thus, consistently and progressively I stay hopeless!!
I am yet to buy a new mobile and have gone three full days without one….it’s funny how it feels to not have it.....I feel so disconnected and empty….Staying connected without a cell phone is a long forgotten memory now! We hardly remember how we communicated way back when there were no cell phones….how did we wish friends on birthdays? How did you tell your boss you were taking an off? How did you communicate at home if you were late? How did you converse with your friends to vent out?
But, on second thoughts, do we really stay “connected” having cell phones with us? The advent of cell phones to most extent does not change the fact of keeping in touch or otherwise!! Then and now – it’s the “intent” which makes the difference – I deem!
P.S: My mom tries my mobile on Day 1 and thinks I am studying or I am sick with a head ache and hence it was sw/off. She re-tries on Day 2 and when it continues to hold the same status, she knew I couldn't study that long and so she calls my husband and the first thing she asked me was "did you put the mobile in washing machine or mixer?"
