I was one of the very few guys in college days to have a cell phone (this was long time ago). That too a color screen one. One of the most interesting things, which have happened to India in recent times in definitely the mobile phone. Almost everyone has got one. During this great boom time for mobile phones, I also had honor of being a loyal customer to each and every cell phone company.

Now having a mobile phone was somewhat like a luxury just some years back, now it has become a necessity. Much like TV, Radio, Telephone, Cable TV, and what not.

In my family and friends circle I always had the distinction of being ‘different’. Whether it’s the kind of books I read, the shoes I wear etc. When it comes to mobile phone I bought a nice one some 4 years ago. I sold it two years ago to buy a brand new high end phone. Then it was like a golden era of mobiling(my own language).

Latest technology like Bluetooth and cool camera, and what not all were in my phone. In a simple way, I was PROUD of my phone. Changing wallpaper everyday, using unique and outlandish ring tones.In a way, I was using this thing for every purpose but for talking.

The funda with mobile is strange. My mobile was stolen from my room in bengalooru, when I lost it, it was really a strange feeling. I suddenly felt like I lost some part of my body. Something like my hand or a leg. Felt like a handicap.

My only source of communication was internet or the good old landline. People started calling me ‘adi manav’ as they felt only people from ancient times didn’t use mobiles.

Its quite embarrassing when people asked me for my number, whether should I tell them I don’t have a phone or shall I give them some number??

When I said ‘ I don’t have a cell phone’ people looked at me as though I just told ‘ I am a cybernetic organism with a living tissue outside’. Some people even thought I deliberately did not give my number.

One of the most bizarre incidents was when I went to donate blood. The nurse first said’ please leave your mobile here’, I did not respond ’sir, please leave your mobile here, so that you can lie on the bed’. I did not respond again, she got a serious doubt as to whether I understood her language or not, now she asked in pure butler English ’saar, no mobile bringing giving blood, testing blood, after giving taking your mobile’.

Now it was really unbearable to listen to her English, listening to that means no need of donating blood; it would have come out of my ears anyway. But I chose the less painful one. I finally said ‘I don’t carry a mobile phone’. Again, it was return of same ex-pression I saw on all the other people ‘I am a cybernetic organism on a mission to protect John Connor’.

Well I stayed away from mobile for quite a while. That was indeed a strange time, no tension of checking out how much balance is left. No tension of did that guy send me a message. No tension of how cool is my ring tone. No tension of ‘did I send a good message? No tension of ‘hmmm , whom should I call?’.

It reminds me a funny incident, yeah I have many.

Once I was traveling by city bus, as my bike had some problem. A 40 yrs or so old guy sat next to me. Now this guy had strange smile on his face, as though he has good news and is desperate to share it. Since I was sitting next to him, he couldn’t contain himself for long. He smiled at me and I smiled back. He asked me where this bus is going initially, and then he asked where is that place in b’lore etc. Now after some conversation was built up he came to his ‘reason to smile’. He said, ‘I bought a mobile phone today’.

I said ‘oh good, which one?’ he showed me his new phone. It was just a normal basic phone. I said ‘it is good’. With this compliment he got really excited and happy.

Then he said ‘this is the best phone sir, it has all features. Using this phone, not only I can call my friends, but my friends can also call me.’ ‘I can play all kinds of music with this, this thing makes sound whenever someone wants to talk with me.’

I just kept nodding. Then as if he realized something, he asked me quickly ’sir, do u have a cell phone?’. I said ‘ No, I don’t, I don’t know anything about cell phones.’

Now this guy suddenly looked as though he was a professor giving speech in discovery channel. ‘Sir, phone is so much necessary these days, with this there are so many uses, people like you may not need it but people like me always need a cell phone’.

‘Sir, u know, you can type and send a message also, so nice no sir, it is like small computers’.

‘Sir, I have taken airtel connection, it is nice sir, even if I go to my village I will get tower of airtel there, wherever I go airtel is full tower sir’. I nodded.

‘Sir, with this phone..........’ he stopped abruptly and looked around.

Suddenly Himesh Reshammiya was singing ‘ jhalak dikh laaja, jhalak dhik laaj, ek baar aja aja aja aja aaaaaja’.

Now this guy was frantically looking for the source.

I slowly took out my High-end phone and promptly answered ‘ hello, yeah I am on my way’.

Now you should have seen that guys face when he saw that phone. It was as though he has just seen ‘A cybernetic organism with machine inside living tissue, my mission to protect John Connor’.