Annoying Technologies.

Yes, it was netravathi express, as usual.

And as usual, I had to fight for my seat - with a punjabi family this time.
That was fine, its a daily routine. I only wished the other daily routine didnt start. Well, wishes are always wishes.

It was a stupid punjabi song, full volume. No mercy ! Yes, I am talking about people playing music loud in trains. I always go and ask people to use a headphone or to lower the volume. But this time, i just had a fight with the family over the seat (that very much belong to me), so I decided to keep quiet.

Somebody else thought otherwise.

There was this man, probably at his early sixties. He featured his shiny forehead, with little or no hair on the front half of the head. The other part did feature thin lines of hair, white, black and brown, manifesting old attempts to paint the hair black. The upper side of the face was flat, while the lower side resembled the white make up of Kathakali artists, the colour being brown. The dress resembled that of a retd. Govt employee, of the 1990s. The posture was similar as well.

Yes. Then it happened. He took out his pen. Removed its top.

And from the pocket came one of the modern(i guess) slide phones, with a touch screen. With the ease of ticking on a survey sheet, he touched his way to his music. Ayyapa songs. One unit volume higher than that of the punjabi stuff.

The fact that me, the techie, still do not know how to dial a number on one of those hi fi phones becomes irrelevant. I did not feel bad because i still live in pre historic ages when it comes to tech gadgets. I felt bad because other people also joined in for the competitions.

I vaccated the seat i fought hard for. Went to the door, stood on the foot board, watching the scenery pass by. I didnt have to pay this much to stand on a food board. I could have very much opted for the general compartments rather than in an air conditioned one.

I have been using a mobile phone for about ten years now. Never did the concept of mobile phones annoyed me this much. Forget the guy sitting next to me who would shout out figures in lakhs. Who would shout his entire family history to the fellow passengers. Who would shout at the subordinated over the phone. Its shouting alright. I hoped it was in private.

Mobile phones do annoy me. The facilities it give is not worth the headache it gives. A technology which was supposed to simplify our lives, is just complicating it.