Lost –without a mobile.

I have been using a mobile phone for the last 10 years. Having graduated from the pagers( I still have it in the bottom of a drawer), a mobile communication system was a boon for doctors like us.  As mobiles started to penetrate every household, our calls increased. Instead of an emergency contact facility, it became a chat tool, music player, video player, camera and entertainment system. So when I left it behind in the car while rushing to the airport for a 2 day conference trip to Delhi, my world literally collapsed.

 

Having discovered its absence during the security check, I rushed to make a phone call. At 8.45 AM, all the landline phones inside the post-security waiting room at Kolkata were non functional. A fellow traveller, looked sympathetically at me and offered his phone. He must have been in my predicament at some time!!! My driver confirmed that I had dropped the phone in my car and it was impossible for him to return it in time. I resigned myself to my fate of spending two WHOLE DAYS without a phone……

I gazed enviously at the passengers on the aircraft before take off, as they chatted away grinning and laughing or shouting over the damned device. The announcement for switching off the phone was not for me. Some persons took out a earplug and started listening to the music. I remembered all the songs on my Nokia as never before. Some actually started playing games on it!!!

As the plane landed, all the switched on phones started oscillating , vibrating, spouting all types of ring tones and songs. Some confirmed their arrivals. Others were busy calling up cars. I sat stony faced, with a peculiar emptiness in my pocket.

I managed to locate the car. The first thing that the driver said was not funny… “Saab, kitne baar aapko phone lagane ka koshish kiya—lekin connection nahi mila…”. I mumbled something like a “Phone car mein chod diya…”. He regarded me very sympathetically. “Tab to Badi mushkil ho gya”, he reflected. I grumpily looked out of the car at a fog laden Delhi.

Throughout that day, I had to control my automatic movement to pull out a mobile phone… I started grabbing my colleagues’ phone. I managed a couple of “safe arrival” calls. I missed knowing about my children, family,patients , colleagues etcetera. I missed the SMSes, the camera, the music… I could not call a car. The charges for a local call from the hotel room was Rs.53.

However after 6—8 hours, I had adjusted to the tranquillity. Suddenly, I could listen to lectures peacefully, talk to my colleagues without interruption, watch a television programme without interference, and even read a whole—yes, a  WHOLE BOOK—a feat left unaccomplished for quite some years…. There were ,of course, minor hiccups along the way. I could not call  and tell a colleague that I was standing with the luggage just a few metres away!!! I almost missed the bus to the airport.

Finally, I arrived home. Ranjana handed over the phone with an accusing look. Pluto barked away at my forgetfulness. I switched it on and immediately it started ringing. “I am a patient of yours and I could not contact you. My backpain has recurred and you were unavailable!!!” “This medicine is unavailable and I could not talk to you about a substitute…”. Finally I got away after a mobile phone dinner. I settled down for some wonderful sweets made by Ranjana. As I sunk into the sofa, plate balanced in my hand, the phone sung once again. I leapt up, dropped a sweet, grabbed the phone and panted “Hello”.

Life was normal again.

But I wish I could do it again. Or would I really take that risk???

Maybe we all should try it out once in a while….