My Good Old Cell phone

I remember the onset of the cell phone culture among the students (specific reference to the Great Mallu community). I was in my first year of college and at that time, most of the NRI kiddos had one to flaunt. It was something many of us used to look at with fascination, envy and desire (Of course, not everyone went through all three emotions at the same time!! :-D )

Students in the hostel were the ones in the fore front in getting cell phones by the time I was in second year. You can guess the point of argument for getting one. "I live so far from home, and I would like to keep in touch with family with no restrictions". Hmm…..no restriction to keep in touch with anyone and everyone is more like it.

I am not being cynical here. I too was part of the bandwagon who wished to have a phone too. But Daddy dearest didn’t really see the point in having one. It was not only because I was a day scholar. I realized that he has an aversion to devices used for communication.

Later on, when contacting me became a hassle because of my hectic college schedules, I ultimately did get a mobile (it belonged to Dad), a high-end one. But no one would believe it. Let’s say, it was a high-end model when I was in the 10th grade in school. Yet again, I gave my pals another reason to pull my leg. I really don’t care what model it was as long as it served the purpose. As usual, I became famous in class for the wrong reasons.

For me, my good old Nokia 6100 was the apple of my eye. It had a double shade which was not a common feature in the latest basic models which others had. It weighed quite a bit like the weights used for weighing vegetables.

I remember the first day I brought it to class. I could read every single mind that saw the phone with an arched eyebrow: "What the hell is that???"

Soon, my phone got nicknames like "Tower", "Bomb" and so on.

"Tower" because it looked like cell phone network tower thanks to the antenna that was sticking out. Whenever my friends lose network coverage or rather "range", they used to bring their phones close to mine. By some stupid coincidence they get full coverage thereafter, and hence the name.

Now you must be wondering why it was called a "Bomb". One fine day, just like everyone who accidentally drops phones on to the floor (especially the Nokia ones), I too dropped mine. The only difference in my case was that the sound caused by the fall (thanks to its weight) made every single person in my class turn around and look at me and the source of the "explosive sound" as they put it. It didn’t take them long to realize what caused the explosion. Considering the commotion my friends created, I guess my phone just missed it making to the newspapers the very next day.

I got to hear a lot of comments like "Hey, you working out with that dumb bell of yours??" Of course, that comment was due to my well toned hands and yeah, the great phone.

People thought I was part of some police force thanks to the "walky-talky" look my phone had.

Ok, so it was a really big and heavy phone. But what people don’t realize is that at least I didn’t have to treasure hunt for it in a bag like others had to with their "sleek" and "feather" weight ones. You see, the good old charm of thinking simple was just not there in those days. Who am I kidding? Who on earth 'think simple' these days.

In the final year, my parents decided to get me a new one. It was a mega transition for me. Most of my friends told me give off my mobile to a museum to preserve its antiqueness. Even after getting a new one, these people will not end their continuous mockery.

I still have sentimental value for my good old phone. After all, it taught me the basics of how to use one. If you ask me whether I still think about my old phone, the answer is "Yes". Why? Simply because of the endless number of times I end up hunting in my bag for the present comparatively sleek phone that I currently possess.

For all my friends who used to give me the royal mocking treatment, all have to say is: Get Lost!! (I am being too nice not to use the F word) :-D

Check out its history:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_6110