This was the time when cell phone technology was comparatively new than the bulky land-line phone. I am talking about 2001, I had just got over with my school and that too with exceptionally good marks. Much better marks than I or anyone ever expected out of me and on exceeding everyone's expectations I got a cell phone which I always wanted but never got until now as a reward. I was all set to enter a new phase in my life-"The College Life" and was looking forward to it anxiously. Those days the call tariffs were very high especially high for a fresh college going student like me. My craze for cell phones was at peak during those days as one would never have found me without my cell phone..that too in my hands at all times. My cellphone bared the brunt of falling from my hands many a times due to this. I Got scolded from my elders, My friends made funny and silly jokes about me and my cell phone addiction. which I never paid heed to. It was like my soul mate... At college,eating, watching TV and even while sleeping I constantly looked at it for messages and missed calls. It was an addiction which at that time I was totally unaware of until recently when we all read and hear about studies predicting cell phone addiction and behavioral changes associated with the disorder.This was the time when I spoke on the phone for hours. The day went by without me knowing what time is it..Yes i was on my cellphone.
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| My 1st Cellphone |
There is this particular incident that took place regarding my cell phone addiction which I remember distinctly...I was waiting for a bus to go to met a friend of mine who puts up in South Delhi, it was a hot may afternoon and the sun was right on top of my head.. its really weird that buses never stop at the bus shelters in most parts of our county ...Anyway it was way too hot then for my mind to work properly but I had to go despite the initial reluctance.. the matter at hand concerning my friend was very serious in nature. I waited and waited for my bus and it seemed like eternity.... and then suddenly while waiting and cursing the state and the central govt I got a call on my phone. I opened my bag searched for my cell phone for almost over 10 seconds and when at last I found it I saw my bus approaching from quite a distance.
I hurriedly looked at my cell which was flashing an outstation number. I was in a fix ...what to do? to catch the bus which I had been now waiting for almost an hour or to take the call and to find out who was on the line... Agrrrah! this addiction I tell u...Catching the bus was my top priority at that moment not only because I had to meet my friend soon but because it's a daunting task especially when you are boarding a "Blueline". While on the other hand the curiosity of attending the phone that too an outstation number was way too much for me then. As the bus came near to me and to a halt, I saw all the people standing near me board the bus... I on the other hand took the call on my cell phone...Yes I let the bus go... without me on it. As soon as I said hello there was a girl on the other side who in a voice even faster than sound said mam I am so and so calling from so and so bank would you like to buy our credit card? It was then I realised that I had made a mistake by not taking the bus... My addiction had cost me my bus ride which I had waited for soooo long. I yelled at the lady in frustration which I shouldn't have and hung up on her after taking her case but I have to admit I learnt my lesson.. got the next bus after almost a good 40 mins of standing in the sun...Phew!
Yes I was a cell phone addict who kept changing cellphones every now and then irrespective of whether I needed a new one or not.Then came a time when when cellphones had cameras and then i was busy clicking photographs of mine my friends, my neighbor my neighbor dog's and whose not!haha... my facebook is a real life proof of that.
All this happened way back in summer of '01 ten years ago and I don't know when I got cured of the addiction and how but now in 2011 all thanks to the Do Not Disturb service incidents of people pestering for a credit card or a loan are almost next to nil. Times have changed drastically and technology has grown so much that cellphones have become an inevitable part of our lives . Wherever I go I see people using cell phones, while driving, while walking on the road alone or with their dogs,while cycling, while in college campuses ,in public offices....everyone is addicted!
Today I am using the same cell phone for the past 3 years... Dnt use it much, dnt even feel like messaging or calling up in spite of the low sms and call Tariff. I feel that the private life is not so private anymore and cellphone has a major role to play in it. There are times when I dnt feel like taking a call. Its not that I dnt want to talk to a particular person ,its just that I dnt want to talk at all... and if I choose not to take calls at a certain hour of the day ,is that a crime?? well people talk to me like I've done one when their call goes unanswered. I cannot sleep without getting disturbed in the afternoon or at night, I cant eat peacefully, cant take a shower either , without being disturbed. The funny part is if someone's call gets skipped and I forget to call them back they talk to me in a tone like I insulted them or something... People need to understand That cellphones are just a way to connect to people not to own them.
With new cellphones coming up next year I do plan to buy a new one as my current phone is loosing out on battery and software... but for me an ordinary one wil do.. All my fascination with this gadget has long gone. Now its just a way for people to be in touch with me and the other way round... I dnt know what made me change?Is it time as in with time maturity sets in or is it the recent studies on addiction that made me think otherwise.... whatever it is the change is for good me and I am happy being separated from my cellphone most of the time. There is no irritation, curiosity when its not around. Yes I am finally cured :)
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