Mobile phone can also help you to raise a family

Some time back, a friend visited me after a long time. She wanted to have a long chat with me. But we couldn’t converse for long.

After every couple of minutes, her mobile phone would ring and she would leave the drawing room. She wouldn’t even say, ‘Excuse me.’

She would return and ask me, again, ‘So, what’s new?’

I had told her about every new and old thing of my life, several times, that day. I was bored and exhausted.

If her phone didn’t ring then it beeped. She would receive a new message. Ignoring me, she would read the messages and immediately send the replies.

A time came when I felt like placing my foot on her heavy back and throwing her out of my house. I restrained myself.

I have been using a mobile phone for the last 15 years but have always considered it a burden.

I see boys and girls on date in restaurants. Much of their attention is towards their mobile phone, not in the conversation. They do not want to miss even one call or one SMS.

A young friend of mine on meeting me, always says, ‘Dada, buy a mobile phone.’

I ask him, ‘Why? What’s wrong with my phone?’

‘You are not connected to the Internet with this phone, the camera is not good and there is no question of movie quality. You cannot see movies on your phone,’ he says.

I reply, ‘I use this phone for talking, for remaining connected with my father and brother. That’s all. For Internet I have a computer, for taking photos I use a camera and I don’t watch movies.’

He is not convinced. He shows his new phone to me. ‘I bought this phone last week. Not much, just Rs 30, 000,’ he says and starts explaining to me its features. I feel like committing suicide.

As I have said earlier, I always disliked mobile phones.

But after getting to know the story of S, my acquaintance, I realised that mobile phones are not that bad. Apart from being used as a computer, camera, home theatre, a mobile can also help you to raise families.

= = = = = = = = = = =

S, the acquaintance, got married three years back. But he was not able to have a baby.

He went to a specialist.

The specialist wrote a prescription asking S to get some of his ‘body fluids’ tested. He also wrote the name of the lab in the prescription.

S developed cold feet when he reached the lab.

He had never got his ‘body fluids’ tested before. The question in his mind was, ‘How?’ Moreover, he found an extremely beautiful girl sitting at the reception counter.

He swallowed several times. Mustering courage, S went to her. She was busy talking on her mobile phone.

S was nervous and shy. His legs shook.

He was not able to face the girl. His kept his eyes low.

S gave the girl the prescription. She glanced at it while talking on her mobile phone.

The girl picked a test tube from the test tube rack kept at the counter, gave it to S and waved towards a corner of the reception hall.

Everything was very casual for the girl. But S’s heart nearly stopped beating due to shame.

S went to the corner. He found himself standing in front of a cubicle. ‘Wash Room’ were the words written on its door.

S came out 15 minutes later.

He was now filled with embarrassment. S went to the counter and replaced the empty test tube on the test tube rack.

The girl was still talking on her mobile phone. S collected his prescription and saying, ‘I will come tomorrow,’ left the lab.

S straightway went to a liquor shop and bought a bottle of rum. It was only noon.

He finished half bottle by the time it was evening.

S drank till late in the night but still was unable to sleep. At two a.m. he had an idea.

He got up and switched on his computer. He downloaded some videos and pictures from the computer to his mobile phone.

He confidently went to the lab the next day.

= = = = = = = = = = =

The specialist, going through the results of the tests, found S suffered from something of very minor in nature. He treated S.

A few days back, I received a message from S which said, ‘U hav bcom uncle.’

‘When vl b d party?’ I messaged back.