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This article is being posted to ensure conitunity in logic and the nostaligic values of the old and the past _ Bhujangadev  Tumuluri

C H A N G I N G T I M E S

Goodbye Landline

Sonam Tsomo 

    Our landline phone, a constant and reliable companion for decades, was recently given a planned but unwilling farewell. Even though such a farewell was in complete sync with latest trends all over the world, one could not help but grieve for several days until one got used to life without its constant ‘tir-tir’ throughout the day. With the skyrocketing prices, and incomes frozen, the goodbye became a necessity. But it left a vacuum in our lives for days together. It had become, in a way, as lovable as any chatty family member. We had to give the phone up to deal with these times of economic hardship. I must confess that we got the idea from an international journal that said it was more economical and sensible to replace it with a cellphone. Anyway, there were already several mobile sets in the family. Keeping the landline cord buzzing as well was more a matter of the heart than of the mind. The mind overpowered the heart this time and the familiar ‘tir-tir’ sound was heard no more.
    Quick research shows that the unfailing companion at home is being pushed out all over the world. In the US alone, there were 70,000 disconnections per year over the last two years, a phenomenal 10 per cent of total landline connectivity. If the trend keeps up, the last cord will be cut off in 2025. Guess which country tops in such cut-offs? Netherlands, among the first democratic countries, and the host to five international courts, has the highest rate at 25 per cent a year. Though we have no comparable data about India, one can say from anecdotal experience that this country may not be lagging far behind. A friend was heard telling another when asked about his landline number, ‘‘Which world do you live in?” Not having a landline at home and carrying multiple cellphones has become a status symbol. No wonder then that old handsets are fast giving way to the latest and trendiest smartphones. Gone are the days when only the rich and the famous could be seen showing off their fancy mobile phones. Some of us may even have good reason to take pleasure in the fact that Blackberries and iPhones have become the latest levellers. Who wouldn’t like to flaunt the same kind of mobile used by our politicians and top businessmen, after all!