Circle to Rectangle to Circle

This happened to Gramophone Records decades back and today the only place Gramophone is seen is in the HMV logo with the dog staring intently at it. What actually happened to them? Well….. They just lost the race against the hands of clock and became victims to technology. The killer has struck again and this time the quarry is the audio cassette.

The Gramophone died when I was a child so I could not emotionally experience the tragic demise of the majestic instrument and the circular melody platter. I have a well stocked cassette collection at my house and every day the layer of dust thickens and the once exhaustive and adorable collection becomes shrouded. The Philips V-500 Music System also lies neglected in a corner.

Compact Discs, affectionately called CD’s are in. They have a much larger capacity and also offer much more flexibility than traditional cassettes. They are easier to store and are more weather-proof than their predecessors.

A mere peek inside a music shop vouches for the fact that audio-cassettes are dying fast. The only factor that still keeps them in demand is the price and that too is often bashed by the denizens of cyber world. Free music is available easily to all and cheap MP3 players keep the geeks entertained on the go!

At times I also feel guilty of letting go of the old and faithful companion but then it would be logically unwise to stick to obsolete technologies. So am also now an ardent CD collector, emotion having taken a back seat.

Geometry seems pretty ironic in this case. Circle to rectangle and then again a circle.

981…Ummmm...

(As a proud citizen of India)

In some cities they were 5 digit numbers and in some they were 6. Yes the identity of Alexander Graham Bell’s invention. Telephone Numbers!!!!

They were rare then and easy, if not pretty easy, to remember. But the entire nature connives to screw mankind. Came in the era of cell phones and brought along the 10 digit number tag. Now how in the world can a person be expected to memorize such a monstrous figure!! Maybe Harry Loraine can provide help. Phone books inbuilt in cell phones came to rescue but when making calls from a fixed phone memory eluded often.

Now how can the stalwarts of telecommunication be left behind? BSNL added a “2” at the beginning of every existing telephone number for some God forsaken reason. Maybe they felt too meager in comparison to a decade. But that wasn’t too big a trouble as the already, somehow, memorized numbers had to be prefixed with a digit. No big deal!

Reliance shook India by the 40 paise clincher. Good enough but the 7 digit numbers were a new headache. Go on guys put it in too!!!!

Now the 7 digits have been upgraded to 10. C’mon you are already used to them, aren’t you?

One question still haunts me. The maximum number of 10 long figures that can be developed using the 10 digits (Excluding 0 in first place) are 10⁹ x 9. Though large it is but a finite number. What when the number of subscribers exceed this value?

Do not worry sir we have full faith in man’s memory. 15 figures will come in handy. Good luck Mankind.

Ghazal Kyon ???

Ghulam Ali, Begam Akhtar, Jagjit Singh. Do they make all the money by milking the nation’s jilted lovers??? Well maybe and maybe not.

They are a great piece of art but have never been my piece of cake. I gave in wholehearted efforts to make them digestible but they always created bouts. The foremost question that arises is: “WHY DO CERTAIN PEOPLE LISTEN TO GHAZALS?”

To enhance their knowledge bank of “sher” so as to use them in gatherings and impress the gals around OR to tell the world that Hey! Am in love. I have known people who voraciously proclaim that they are ardent fan of Jagjit Singh but can never go beyond “Hoton Se Choon Lo Tum” when asked to “Arz” a few “Sher”. So why do they listen at all?? Prestige Issue?? Well Maybe. Ghazals bring a certain amount of aristocracy to the personality involved and these people cannot afford to let go of it.

I do respect people who are devout fan of ghazals though. A friend of mine can stutter umpteen “shers” on demand in one breath. That is called Fanaticism. I never peep into his collection coz most of it beyond my perception and understanding.

A noted film actress once stated that when heartbroken she listened to ghazals to vent out her emotions. I do not understand the underlying logic behind it. How can pain ease pain? It is better to watch Tom and Jerry or The Road Runner Show and laugh the woes out rather than sulking over it.

So the point Am trying to make is that there is no point in impressing the world around with stuff which is equally incomprehensible to you as it is to the people around. Ghazals are great and palatable by selected few. Are you in or out?