Midlife Euphoria Day 6

Midlife Euphoria Day 6

Our generation has seen the greatest extent of change a lifetime can witness. We grew from the time when long distance calls were called trunk calls and one had to scream to be heard on the other end. To a casual observer the loud shout would probably reach the listener faster without the encumbrance of the instrument. Since there was only land line connection one stayed at home the whole day after booking the call waiting for it to materialize. You talked for just three minutes and then the operator warned you that your   limit was over. You had to extend the call if you wanted to continue talking. It was considered extravagant to prolong the conversation. To get to someone quickly a lightening call was booked which was the ultimate self-indulgence.

I remember an instance when we used only trunk calls. My elder daughter was in a boarding school. As a rule we were not allowed to call them. Just after her 10^th Std. the school allowed the girls to call their parents once to discuss the choice of subjects for high school. They were assigned 3 minutes each. On the appointed day we kept close to the phone lest we miss the momentous call. Nevertheless to say after the whole day of waiting the crucial call came through. My daughter blurted out “Mama, tell me quickly what subjects I should choose if I want to be a sleuth. Nonplussed, I was trying to figure out an appropriate response when I was thumped by another strange inquiry. What do you think of gemology as a career option?  Not very familiar with these unconventional choices I fumbled, do you mean Germinology? I think you must take up Biology for that.  “No mama I mean Gemology, come on hurry up I have to give my choices first thing in the morning and I am running out of time. Before I could say anything the three minutes were over and the phone got disconnected. So much for the earth-shattering call!

Letter writing and sending greeting cards was customary. Till the girls were in school we received letters regularly from them and were touched by the thoughtful hand made cards they sent us on our birthdays and anniversary.

The other conventional means of communication was the telegram. A telegram more often brought bad news than good. I remember an instance when my great grand mother who was illiterate received a telegram from her son who was working in another town. She looked at the telegram and started wailing loudly. The neighbours got there. She continued to wail waving the telegram. The ominous telegram created an atmosphere of gloom. When my grand dad arrived he was shocked to see the poignant scene. My distressed grand mom ran and handed the telegram to him. With shaking hands he opened the telegram and to everyone’s amazement burst into laughter. He read out the contents aloud, “Found House at B’bay visit soon”.

Written in telegraphic language the message was often misinterpreted. Some classic examples:

TELEGRAM #1
A husband, while he is on a business trip to a hill station sends a telegram to his wife: "I wish you were here." The message received by wife: "I wish you were her."

TELEGRAM #2
A daughter sends a telegram to her father on her clearing B.Ed exams, which the father receives as: "Father, your daughter has been successful in BED."

*TELEGRAM #3
A man wants to celebrate his wife's Birthday by throwing a party. So he goes to order a birthday cake. The salesman asks him what message he wants to put on the cake. Well he thinks for a while and says: Let's put, "you are not getting older you are getting better". The salesman asks, "How do you want me to put it?" The man says, well put "You are not getting older", at the top and "You are getting better" at the bottom. The real fun didn't start until the cake was opened the entire party watched the message decorated on the cake: "You are not getting older at the top; you are getting better at the bottom".

Communication has moved on ever since. From booking calls, letter writing, sending greeting cards or telegraphic messages we graduated to Cell phones, Standard Trunk Dialling (STD) and International Subscriber Dialling (ISD). All this is now considered passé.

The generation after us grew up in the digital age.  They use technology to connect with friends in new ways; they text message to communicate and stay in touch with friends. They make friends using technology tools and say it makes it easier to stay in touch with friends and family.

The rise of instant communication technologies made possible through the Internet, have brought us email, texting, and instant messaging (IM) and new media used through websites, You Tube and social networking sites like Facebook,  Myspace, and Twitter.

Our generation has taken cognizance to these changes remarkably. We learnt to use the cell phones, mastered the instant messaging, are using the internet, are on Facebook (to our children’s astonishment), and are grappling with You Tube and Twitter.

The generation before us finds these changes cumbersome while the next generation cannot imagine life without these embellishments. If you don’t want to be tarnished as a fuddy-duddy ageing parent, you must adopt these modern trappings. Not only are they user friendly, they stimulate your mental faculties and keep you in touch with the latest changes around you. The new generation admires you and treats you like an equal. So if you want to be cool, communicate with the younger generations in ways they communicate to their peers. Don’t let age hamper your style. Beat the challenges. They are just a click of a finger away.