The Ever Changing World

Year 1996 : A Visit to one of the National Banks with  my relative and I noticed a room from a distance that had an electronic machine with a display on it. After an enquiry, I learnt that it was an ATM - Automated Teller Machine. My relative chuckled and said its a waste as nobody uses it. Coming from a small town and looking at the machine was something new and I was quite inquisitive. I accepted the comment from my relative though the thought of the machine giving away the money for the customer was there for some time. Times have passed by and people cannot live without using an ATM.

As the time has passed, things have changed on a day to day life, remembering some of those things is nostalgic.In the past two to three decades, life has changed completely not just for me but for every one around. I could recollect some of those things here, and there may be many.

Antenna : This one is of the most nostalgic and I miss climbing the guava tree to go up the building,then take a pole,  try tilting the antenna towards a particular direction by looking at how others have positioned their antennas. And, shout below to your mom or aunt or father  to check if the TV is functioning with clarity. It has been over  a decade that I have seen any tv antenna.

Banking : The generation next might be oblivious to the word 'Chalan'. Long queue was inevitable to deposit money and /or withdraw cash. Perhaps, the incidence in the beginning of the article is evident for the reason of the way banking has transformed. Internet Banking, Mobile Banking , ATMs have taken over. Though the nationalized banks have  transformed, they have more trust than the private ones.!

Bulb :  Nothing lasts forever, not even the Great wall of China (someday). Edison demonstrated the bulb in the year 1879. He is one of the most influential person who has influenced life around every one. As the times have transformed, the bulb is out of production. Remembering the days when the bulb used to fuse out and you try to merge the cut tungsten wires by tilting left, right and some times it used to work also! I wish I could capture those moments !

Camera : Things that were expensive and/or rare are now ubiquitous and camera is one of them. Imagine taking a Konica or a Kodak Roll, rolling it inside the camera and getting ready to shoot for a family event. After 36 shots, you take it to print and sometimes you realize the prints have not gone bad. Not only you curse yourself, but also others whom you  clicked with the camera would have cursed you.  Such a scenario is a  history. But, the reactions after taking bad shots would be unforgettable now !

Internet :  Wheel was one of the incredible innovation (though it may not appear anymore) of all times. On top of the wheel, there were other innovations like the transport system, pulleys etc. Like wise, if computer is one of the greatest innovation, Internet could be considered as another greatest innovation that was built using the network of computers. Without Internet, computer could have been less useful. Further, Internet could be considered as wheels for Social Networking Sites. Perhaps, there are many more things to innovate in future.

Language ,Writting & News Papers:  The only time you pick up the pen these days would be to sign and sometimes to take notes. Seldom you would have written a sentence using a pen. Writing is still an art, but the use of pen is getting obsolete.  Similarly, seldom I read Kannada nor I write in Kannada, same would be the case with others for their mother tongues. And, with the round the clock news channels, social networks the importance of newspapers has diminished and rarely have I subscribed to news paper in the past 4-5 years.

Mobile Phones: Certain things that were a luxury are now ubiquitous and have become part and parcel of life. Along with Roti, Kapada, Makaan, Mobile is one of the essential needs for everyone. There was a time when we applied for a telephone and it took over 3 years to get the phone. And, receiving the phone made us feel that we have achieved something incredible and definitely there was a moment of celebration. And, now ! If you do not have a mobile,  you are looked down !

Post : Some of  the new generation are oblivious to the word 'Post' and they may not be able to associate with it. The peak of the postal department was evident through the program 'Surabhi' that used to be aired on the national network. The program used to ask questions and the public used to send answers through post and a special post was designed for participating in the competitive question. The cost of normal Post Card was 5 paise and it was such damn cheap so that even the poor can send message through post. Ofcourse, like every one I used to write post to my parents and cousins. Probably, It has been over a decade and a half that I have written anything on the post card or Inland Letter. The reason for this is evident and its none other than Mobile Phones. No doubt, the postal department it trying to transform itself, it is still the most economical way of couriering letters and any other items.

Retailing:  Organized retail is around 5 % of the total market. The recent developments in the retailing have changed the way we shop items. The ambience, the discounts, the size and the lifestyle dictates how we shop and what we shop. The Kirana Stores or the local retail outlets are not only facing the pressure but also compelled to change their profession.

Roads and The Trees : Traveling on the roads might be quicker than before, but the ride has lesser pleasure than before,  because of the trees on either side. No doubt, the highway roads are now two lanes or three lanes and the travel time from Hubli to Mumbai is now around 12 hours from 16 hours earlier. Thanks to the National Highway authority of India (NHAI) and buses like Volvo !

Scooter : Many of you might remember the 'Humara Bajaj' ad. The ad had gone viral through out the country if I can call it so. But, the scooters have diminished. We had the Allwyn Pushpak (also akin to Lambretta) bought in the early 80's, and we used to make out whether my Uncle had come home from work just by the noise of the scooter. And, we sold it couple of years ago. The mileage of the scooter was still around 25 km when we sold it.

Change

Let us imagine the contexts in which the word change is used

• Change your dress
• Change your thinking,
• Give me the Change
• Change your Strategy etc etc.

But, the ‘Change’ I am referring to is very broad and has larger impact on the masses that we work with.

Change is part and parcel of life, from using Neem to clean teeth to using a brush and toothpaste, from having lunch and dinner sitting on the floor to using the Dining table, from paying the utility bill, banking transactions across the counter to using the internet to achieve the same.  There are so many changes that are noticeable in the daily life.

India has seen this change from being ruled by The Monarchs, to be overtaken by the British and chasing the British away through the concept of Truth, Non-Violence and Satyagraha, and, finally establishing the Democratic rule. Each of the change had its cause and implications. While the disadvantage of the monarchs was the internal fight between the Kings, British used this to their advantage and united the country based on the divisive strategy.  The first step to change the British rule was in the year 1857 by Mangal Pandey, which sowed the seed to get the independence, this change caused immense resistance among the British to the actions. Likewise, Gandhiji faced the discrimination in South Africa for Indians and South Africans. Further, when he was thrown out of the first class compartment despite holding the valid ticket, seeds were sown for the freedom of the country, not just India but also for South Africa, though South Africa got independence from racism and apartheid in the early 90’s viz April, 27, 1994.

Though, India got its freedom, the transformation had a bitter impact by dividing the country in to India and Pakistan. And, the worst nightmare was the killing of innocent people while travelling from India to Pakistan and Pakistan to India in the trains. The process of freedom was one aspect, post-freedom the process was very much different in terms of formation of states etc.

Change is inevitable, but the process of change is quite arduous, painful and long. We are in the process of another political change, where India against Corruption is fighting for a cause and the immense resistance is very much evident with the way the political class is behaving. The reality shows were also beaten by the viewership due to the arrest of Anna Hazare.  The victory to the process is still unknown but the seeds of change have been sowed.

Sometimes, change is totally unacceptable. Take the example of Kaun Banega Crorepati, it was in the midst of a personal financial crisis that Mr. Amitabh Bachchan took over the show, never ever he had dreamt that the show would be successful. In fact, in a recent interview he mentioned that people told him he would be demeaning his status by representing the show. Rest is history as is known. But, when the organizers of the show decided to change the host, it didn’t work. And, Big B had to be back! People cannot imagine KBC without Big B!

The conventional mind has standard way of thinking, while the creative mind has its own way. John Gurdon, the British scientist who got the Nobel Prize, was told by the teachers that he was too stupid to study the subjects. Such thoughts may pull you down but your belief should remain intact.

Change is noticeable in day to day life as well. For example, in my own experience, we were not using an Open Source to do a certain task; however, we had our own way to do it. This gives us an opportunity to challenge the standard way of doing things. However, the conventional mind is not a position to understand the change and the thought process that is undergone to make this happen goes unnoticed when you speak to different people.

When a baby is born, every one embraces the baby with open arms. The joy, warmth and the feeling that the family undergoes is intangible. The change that the baby brings is welcomed with fun and fervor.

Change is a process that every one goes through whether one likes it or not. If it is liked like the baby then it’s embraced, if it’s not liked then also they have to accept the fact of change. There are changes which are resisted but they do leave some foot prints or scars of not adapting the change. Embrace change with open arms, since change is inevitable, resisting the change delays the process and may cause pain eventually. And, perhaps things become monotonous if there is no change!