A day without internet

Wake up. Go to the loo. Plonk on the bed with the mobile phone. Multiple screams from mother go ignored. Check all the accounts across various social media platforms. The final call for breakfast arrives. Get up and brush the teeth. Eat the breakfast. Pick up a news daily. Check the phone before settling down to catch up with the latest news. The rest of the day passes with frequent breaks to check the phone. To be precise, the breaks are exclusively reserved for checking WhatsApp, Facebook, mails, and Instagram, among other things. Well, that's what my routine consists of, when the internet is working.

There are times when this routine is disrupted, although, not very often. They are the times when there lacks a secure internet connection. And those days seem like the worst of the nightmares. Recently, the WiFi connection in my house had lapsed for one entire day. Yes, you heard it right, one entire day. As someone who mostly relies on WiFi connections, a mobile data pack is rarely availed of. Contrary to the tone expressed in the previous sentences, the beginning of the day without internet was pleasant. Surprisingly, I did a lot of things that wouldn't have been possible to do, alongside the constant buzzing of the phone. For the first time in a long while, I looked around my messy room and realized that I had the last opportunity to save my room from looking like a godown that stocked all the trash one could possibly find in a room. Hey, I've never felt more productive than when I finished the herculean task of cleaning up my godown-like messy room! Constant struggles to fix the dormant internet connection were on, all through the while, without any success. There is a vast difference between voluntarily choosing to turn off the internet to avoid distraction and not having access to internet, and thus having to make do without it. It is at this point that I realise how I may be missing out on some important mails and messages, and I simultaneously start feeling disconnected from all the goings-on around me. And it is also these very moments that trigger a quest for occasional detachment. In the meanwhile, various books were browsed through. Also, I began scrolling down my contact list with the hope of talking to people I've not been in touch with. Voila, I manage to surprise a couple of contacts with the gesture!

Today, we live in an era where almost half of the world's population makes use of the internet on a daily basis. I wonder how the older generations saw people live a life without television, mobile phones, and refrigerators, let alone an internet connection. Late afternoon, I sat my grandmother down to know what life was like, in her heydays. I couldn't help but feel enchanted while my grandmother shared some anecdotes from her life and reminisced about how a big family always found enough ways to remain amused and entertained. My evening plans of watching a movie, online, were substituted with a visit to the Juhu beach. The beauty of the sunset, which I have heard of more than I have witnessed, was experienced in all its glory. The gentle ocean waves, cool zephyrs, and the sand castles seemed to quickly fill all the empty spaces in my life, and everything felt just perfect.

Something seemed amiss when I headed back home. As it turned out, I hadn't touched my phone in a long time. Just like how an empty house lacks value, my phone, on that particular day, seemed empty and worthless. I frantically made a few calls at my internet provider's office, just to know that I would have to wait until the next morning to get my internet connection fixed. Honestly, no problem or obstacle in my life has ever seemed as grave and severe as the one I was facing, when I was cut off from the digital world. I planned to buy a mobile data pack, the next morning. The plan didn't materialise as I woke up to an active WiFi connection, the next morning. It felt like the most pleasant start to the day. There is a saying that goes as 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder,' and in my case, this statement couldn't have meant more.

The high-octane life!

I found myself in a catch-22 situation when, despite assuming that my life had steadily changed over a period of time, I couldn't help but admit how life looks drastically different at various micro-levels, looking back. These micro-levels altered my life at a macro-level. Upon having a discussion with a friend who drew my attention to how, today, we all prefer living our lives in the fast lane, and many compromise on their future needs and requirements, just to be able to sustain a modern-day lifestyle. Can money buy comfort and luxury? Yes. Does a glorified social status improve one's standard of living? Yes, under pressure. Does money indulge? Certainly. But the real question here is, 'At what cost?' Money's indulgence seems short-lived and fails to seem legit when bigger hopes and wishes are compromised upon. As much as the argument of enjoying the allowances of a friendly environment and lifestyle seems appealing, there is also a thought spared for the output and longevity of our actions, for the greater good.

The atmosphere is competitive. Time is running out. There is a drastic upsurge in the activities and ideas that multiply rapidly. Making quick bucks has become a norm. And there is no looking back for spendings. Educational qualifications are at par. City life has gained totally different momentum. Material riches are shaping attitudes and personalities. Nuclear set-up of homes has catalyzed independent thinking. Has the change struck, now? But, in keeping with the daily requirements and demands of the life I lead, this qualifies as a very basic life, say many. In fact, my outings and parties with friends, my fitness and vanity enhancing regimens, and healthcare requirements haven't even found a mention in this ever expanding list, says one of the 21st century go-getters. Amidst all these doings, how and why should one ever find a reason to slower his/her pace of life and let a low-on-ostentation life take over, like before? Much to my dismay, I have lived my life according to a certain standard, without ever thinking if my life has been a product of the society's influence or if I have inadvertently been pressured to chug that path of life, which is both emotionally and financially exploiting. Although, today it seems like my life is torn over between what has been socially deemed acceptable and what I have grown up on.

Media has been the biggest game-changer when it comes to enlightening and overthrowing the old, familiar Indian lifestyle. Fashion senses have evolved, and how! Shopping season that would arrive once every year, mostly coinciding with a festival, no more requires an occasion to arrive. An organic generation gap seems too heavy to bear, and at times also seems like mental baggage. Family outings and get-togethers over dinner have been traded for potlucks, clubbing, and weekend getaways with friends and colleagues. I was growing up when this noteworthy transition took place, and for some reason, this transition victimized people before they could manage to come to terms with this speedy change.  Growing up with the basic necessities of life and occasional add-ons, gratitude has become second nature to me, for all that I had back then, but seems somewhat missing, today. A city like Mumbai may resemble a match-box when one considers the proximity and size of homes. But, the warmth and affection do not flow as easily as the wrath of the people, around. Sharing a bed, earlier, never required much of a thought. The same thing today, after a decade or two, seems like a major life decision. What can these changes be attributed to?

Today, there is no better feeling than that of being born at a time when the constant buzzing of a phone did not eat into my personal space. It feels good to revel in the old world charm of people being able to afford to be totally inaccessible, and access their deepest desires. Gratitude is also shown for the time when family talks/chats were prioritized over reel life family dramas. The art of sharing and saving up for later, and the greater joy of rejoicing the stored treasure of one's favorite cake have become the fondest memories. And also, the feeling of having witnessed a life where the people living together made a house, and not the other way round. I shall pride myself for being able to differentiate between a robotic and absolutely carefree and non-robotic life. And also for knowing what it is like reading a hard copy of a book before the kindle came in, what enjoying swings and see-saws in a park is like before video games took over. I know that a bed-time story will always hold more essence than falling asleep to Angry Birds on television. I know how a normal life existed before the high-octane life took over.

Air rides, flying syndrome, etc

Summer is right here. And when summer cruises through, travel plans decide to invade. So of course, it is destinations galore. Except, every time one has to clock long miles by air, the thought of long flights makes every other thought turn turtle. Or maybe it is the jet-lag which follows, that plays spoilsport and disrupts the excitement and immediate schedule of one's travel plans.

I'm someone who seizes every opportunity to cuddle and play with babies. Babies are soft and warm; and the cute species that they are, they also make for the best stress busters. As honest and factual as the previous statement happens to be, it is also an open-ended one. No guesses then, that baby passengers are a big no-no. My dislike for baby travelers can be attributed to a flight I was on, sometime back, when an infant had resolved to cause a mental riot on the aircraft; maybe so that he could draw everyone's attention to how his bassinet had no comfort, while the babies seated in the first class were having a gala time in their comfy and spacious bassinets. Also, I'm not sure if it's just me, but late night flights seem to be the most adventurous ones, when it comes to tracking one's actions and emotions. Every time I have boarded a late night/midnight flight, the importance of my bed in my life has increased substantially. The compact and if-you-recline-the-passenger-behind-gives-you-dirty-looks seats just add to the misery of every economy class traveler. As a kid, I always admired air travel. I don't know if I was lured by the goodies that a kid receives on flights or by the air of sophistication and the sense of everybody showing high levels of discipline or at least pretending to do so until the aircraft landed, when it began to look more like a Mumbai local. Window seats are great when one wants to remain oblivious to the on-flight happenings, until that extra glass of water makes you rush to the loo, inconveniencing everyone on your way out. Unlike the scenario on every train journey, on a flight, one is unknowingly expected to head straight to where the lavatory is, without making any animated gestures towards anybody on the way. Like anybody who has traveled by trains in large groups would know, there are always a few people from the group who love to jump compartments. These are the people who, when they want to use the toilet, leave their seats minutes in advance, just so that there is ample time to greet everyone on the way and have a cup or two of tea, if insisted upon.

My vote always goes to the helpless flight attendants who are at the receiving end of many a passenger's frustration and high-handedness and still have to smile like they are pleased to have them on board. It is both annoying and hilarious, in equal measure, to see some passengers ignore the flight crew, when they prepare to spring out of their respective seats before every landing. I seriously wish to know if these people really think that the flight is going to take-off without letting them exit. How I wish I could know the answer, someday! The other alternative to understanding the reason behind this oh-so-silly action is to get feedback forms filled by passengers, just to know if that is their way of retaliating for a terrible flying experience. Whatever the case, these are the same people who believe in halting the road traffic when they get into a minor accident with another vehicle.

I'm looking forward to a journey when every passenger will have a separate cabin, which will almost be akin to a private journey. The cabin should be inaccessible to any view or sound of babies throwing a fit, and fat aunties encroaching on the other person's seat through the arm rest, while using the reclining mechanism. Meanwhile, I hear that the real reason why Kingfisher Airlines got grounded was the free flowing booze, that left the passengers incapacitated. Guess, extreme sophistication brings its own perils.