Technology

Telecommunications has advanced so much and is touching lives of even a small laborer. Today you will find even the person who comes for your  household work carrying a mobile. One can just go into any shop nowadays, give ones papers, and get a SIM card activated in a few minutes.

Cut to 2o years back. Getting a telephone line in your house was a privilege. Waiting period was years and years. Arrival of phone in the house was greeted by the entire household as well as by the neighbors. In some cases there used to be just one phone in the entire building. People used to give their neighbors numbers to their friends and relatives. And those who had the connections were more than happy to call their neighbors if a call was received. Sometimes, the caller used to disconnect the phone or a fixed time was always predecided. While waiting for the call, the two neighbors used to share a hot cup of tea or coffee, with hot snacks over a lot of gossip about the other neighbors. Particularly since the entire conversation was being overheard by the person with the phone, gossip rarely died down.

Outstation conversations were heard all over the building. People used to shout down the phone, as if their voices were traveling around the world. The entire neighborhood would come to know that an outstation call has been made or received. Everybody used to share each others happiness or grief.

Today neighbors dont even have each others telephone numbers. Each house has a telephone. Technology doesn't make people shout over long distance calls anymore. Infact lovers can even whisper sweet nothings to each other without missing even a single word.

Television also had the same effect. Initially a privileged few had TV sets. Evenings used be a get-together for everybody in the building to see "Chitrahar" or the weekly favorite "Saptahiki". But then TV was available to everybody. Then came the video. Not everybody had a video cassette player. Movies were always a joint fun. But with new age devices, costs started coming down. It was available to everybody.

Technology has been a boon for everybody but it has also increased the distance between people.

The latest example of technology being a boon but increasing the distance is the INTERNET. Going to each others houses is no more on the cards. Social networking sites are enough. You can wish each other on Facebook, Orkut, and many other such sites. Whats the use of going to anybodies house when you can see what is happening in others lives, just by one click. It has its benefits, no doubt....It has made people who are staying at greater distances...say different countries...interact....but at the same time, the general tendency is... do we need to visit?