This was close to ten years ago when I was in Chennai and going to the famous bus station in a local bus! ( Yes, bus! Now I don’t remember the last time I went in a bus!).
So I was already weary of the duty and since the journey takes around one hour I thought I can catch forty winks! Those were the days when during residency we used to get free time between duty and studies of around four to five hours and we were always sleep deprived!
Most of us will be walking around like zombies in the morning and reading like them in the night!
The minute we get any free time which could not be utilised for duty or study, we would sleep!
Of course normally sleep would come so easily and we were so proficient that we can sleep anywhere! Or in any position!
But just when I was looking forward to a quick nap, I got the misfortune of sitting next to a young (er!) guy who was yapping with his friend on the phone so loudly without a care of the world!
During those days I had enough drama in my life that I don’t have any need to eavesdrop into his conversation (still do but that’s an entirely different matter for a different Blog!); But the guy was speaking so loud that even the dude in the next seat could hear him loud and clear!
Imagine that this guy, let’s say X was enquiring the name of his friend’s girlfriend through the phone and that too so loudly!
He was telling him that he will keep it a secret!
For five minutes he cajoled and literally begged him to reveal the name!
When he finally did get the name, the whole bus heaved a sigh of relief!
If was Kavita if you must know!
He again persisted on details once the name was out!
How they met and how they meet!
It was then Lost my cool and I gently asked him to keep his talk low!
That’s when the scene changed!
Half of the bus was upset that the drama came to a stop! (Many had reached their stop but am sure that they continued!)
X angrily started abusing me in chaste Tamil and since I was just polishing my Palakkad Tamil, it was a lost cause from the word go!
I politely told him, “You just now promised your friend in the phone that you will keep the girl’s name secret and now even I know her name is Kavita!”
He was surprised and shocked at this revelation! He then accused me of deliberately trying to listen to his secrets!
Just when this argument was happening, an old guy from the back seat came and asked him, “Is your friend’s name Velu!?”
X replied in affirmative!
“My daughter is Kavita and Velu is our neighbour’s son! I thought he was a decent boy!” He said in chaste Tamil and almost catching X’s collar!
It was like karmic intervention for me! Of course I don’t know whether they were the same Velu and Kavita or what happened afterwards since our actual stop had arrived! But this whole experience did get my point across of mobile etiquette and how!
Just today waiting in a line at the super market (not everything can be ordered online always!); There was another such incident!
This time it was a girl, let’s call her U and she had one hand on the crate and another stabilizing the phone into which she was loudly conversing about how her work place was! The cashier automatically reduced her speed and gave her full attention to the drama!
I had of course learnt my lesson years back and just ignored everything including what she told about her neighbour, her mother in law and what not!
Just got my things, paid and left without an aa!
You do get wise when you get old (or married as the case may be!)
Mobile Phone is a luxury! Not a necessity! What can be said in five minutes can be stretched to hours! But what can be said in hours can still be said in minutes!
I have many times preferred the text to speech since it’s clear and concise and doesn’t disturb!
Many times I would ask even my friends to text me since I would be with my patients or even kids or family! Unless of course it’s urgent then I am sure that the person would call again rather than text!
Talking in public places is a responsibility! Why to broadcast your personal soap opera to the world!
But then that’s just my humble opinion! For everyone who doesn’t agree, broadcast away!
ramadocblog 