These Stupid Smart Phones

The first day of the year! We wanted to make it special. So, we decided to visit a friend. The plan was to simply spend a lazy afternoon chatting over cups of coffee and tea, and be home before Delhi traffic becomes mental.

What we overlooked was the God’s sense of humour. Every time a man enthusiastically proposes anything, the God happily jumps to dispose the same.

The afternoon was made to order. It was so perfect that we wouldn’t have desired any change in it. We walked out of our friend’s house through a beautifully manicured park in the vicinity. We reached the main road but shelved the idea of booking a cab. The weather was ideal for walking, and we wanted to make the best of it.

On our way, we also finished some food shopping. Holding the food bags, we decided to not go for any more adventure but book the cab. My partner’s phone was already off due to no life left in the battery. I had some left so I began the process.

Ironically, before the GPS in Uber app could pin point our location, the battery of my phone suddenly slipped from 29% to zero. What we found us staring at was the black screen of the phone. This was one of those freaky and leisurely days, when we both had decided not to carry the power banks.

Now standing in the middle of the shopping area, in front of a busy road, we looked at each other. Surprisingly, instead of feeling irritated or frustrated we burst into laughter, although the situation was such that we couldn’t even call anyone to book the cab for us, and we were not in a position to do it ourselves, either.

We decided to venture out and have some fun. The idea was to prove that we could survive and manage without phones. After all, human beings were surviving even before mobile phones were invented, and were doing quite well. So, why should we be so dependent on our phones? 

We took an auto rickshaw to the next metro station. I am an Uber person and not a metro fan. When I reached the metro station, my heart began to sink. It was over crowded and was full of all sorts of people. Everyone was pushing others and running to get ahead in the swarm of people. The noise at the station seemed like someone has disturbed a hornet’s nest.

The x-ray machine was another nightmare. People were piling bags as if they were from the ‘lost and found’ section. I was worried about my bag, which was a fancy one (no zipper but jut a loop). I was afraid that my valuables (two stupid smart phones with depleted batteries and money, etc) may fall out of it, while going through the machine.

Somehow I passed the test. Picked up my bag at the other end. Stopped to breathe some fresh air, and checked if everything was intact.

The train arrived and we were pushed in by the people behind us. Standing at the door, we began our memorable journey. After a couple of stations when we got some space to breathe, we found ourselves laughing again – at the irony of the situation and our adventure. As the destination was approaching we found the situation more and more amusing.

We arrived home safe and sound after a happy and also an eventful day.

The result: unlike others who make big resolutions every year, I resolved to never leave home without power bank in future.

The incident also underlined how we humans have become prisoners of our stupid smart phones, which, after all, are not so smart.