James Bond and me

The only Social Media I had when I was growing up hundreds of years ago was the Radio! The only stations I tuned in to, on an old Bush radio, were “Radio Ceylon” and the “BBC” . (Of course, there were one or two Indian stations as well). The first for music and the second for the evening news. At times the valve radio did not catch the desired station and one had to give it a thump on the side and presto it obeyed commands thereafter. Whether it was the six am morning music show, cricket matches, Man landing on the moon, late night instrumental music or the daily news – that was Social media for us, and we enjoyed it. Yes we clapped when the cricket commentator shouted out that the batsmen had hit a four or a six and I jumped when I heard those famous words by Neil Armstrong's when he became the first person to set foot on the Moon: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Nothing can take away the thrill of those very special moments . Now there is the Internet, television with hundreds of channels to choose from, Facebook, WhatsApp and so many others. The list is endless and continues to grow – who knows what we will have ten and twenty years from now! We are indeed spoilt for choice. I remember going to a movie in my teens and seeing James Bond with a large ungainly looking cordless phone and saying wow! Not that I imagined myself as JB or anything – just the thought of a phone with no wire amazed me. I wondered where it was connected to and how. I remember starting with a Nokia 6210, (Googled to make sure that was the number ) taking it out of my pocket and looking at it often, in the initial days, to make sure I had it and of course to show it off . It was quite a rarity back then and I had sent for it through a relative in Dubai. Now everyone has a phone, and nobody seems to be able to do without it. Children carry it to school , people sign in before an operation , they check it between repetitions in the gym, peep at it in church , click selfies in strange places and feel lost and forlorn if they leave the house without it . I have often forgotten my wallet but rarely my phone. I distinctly remember attending a Leadership programme at “The Tuck school of Business” at Dartmouth some years ago. There were talks, seminars and discussions led by some amazingly intelligent professors from around the world - they almost gave you a complex. One grey haired professor held up his battered old phone and said – “Educationists around the world tell pupils not to bring phones to school – one day , all children will carry to school, will be a phone”- prophetic words indeed . On a slightly different note ….. Looking at schools going online around the world today, I wonder if brick and mortar schools will exist in the future. Everyone is managing quite well and with the advancement of technology this will happen – in fact, it already has. The debate for social interaction will continue and be solved too. Parents and pupils around the world are already getting very comfortable with the “new normal”. Not spending money on uniforms, on purchasing innumerable books, and on travel, is gradually making parents realize the indirect saving they are making and that is something one cannot scoff at in this day and age when every penny counts . Then there is the issue around saving time. With traffic jams and long distances to be travelled between home and school – studying from the comfort of one’s home is now being seen to be very appealing. Lastly with no water bottles and tiffin to be packed every morning, mums are smiling more often! If you notice, I have not even mentioned Covid and the apprehensions, fears and safety concerns around the virus. Mark you – I am not writing schools off any time soon. Nothing can replace face to face teaching and learning. The pat on the back from your teacher, the competition with your friends on stage and on the field, the camaraderie, the jokes, the bunking classes – all seem irreplaceable right now but then again who knows. For how long will “NOW” exist? I never thought I would ever have a cordless phone like James Bond did I?