The Don of Contooper Yeda

Computers, Information Technology, Future, Modern world, Cable TV, Mobile, Internet, e-mail…….Very common words now-a-days …. Right?? But not-so-long ago they were Dreams…. At least for me…. And this is how I had reacted to The Don of Contooper Yeda.... err..... The Dawn of Computer era.

Class IX….1998
I had gone to a friend…. in Officers’ Colony…. having a CABLE TV connection…. to discuss something for the debate to be held next week. It was around 5-30 pm. Barely few minutes had passed when she (okaayyyy why can’t a friend be a SHE!!!) started shouting… Jaldi karo mera STAR WARS aane waala hai.
And I was like…should I run for cover or what……WHAAATTT is STAR WARS??

Class IX (again)….1998
One day my friends decided to give each other nick names.
Ye Belanwaali….. ye Hateli….. ye Kajalbhai….
The one who was called Kajalbhai yelled….abe kya samajh k rakha hai
Dekha… hum to bole hi the ki tu kajalbhai hai
And in one corner I was wondering…… Have they really met some aliens?? MY GOD!!! They know their names too!!!

Class X…..2000
Mobile was always very fascinating …for everyone back in the late 90s. More so for me coz even the Cordless phones in some of my friends from Officers’ Colony seemed Magic!! I used to wonder …. I mean … HOW!!!
We were going to appear for Xth Board examination ( I don’t remember which paper it was). Out of sheer desperation… we went to a Temple near by to seek some last minute blessings. As we were returning… one of us (not me) was staring at something…. When we all looked in the direction…. We found a man talking on a MOBILE PHONE!!

A: Abe ye bangaali ko aur kuchh nahin dikhta hai
B: Tu to aise bol raha hai jaise roz saala phone pe baat karta hai
A: Abe iska matlab kya…. Aise dekh raha hai jaise pata nahin kya hai
B: Haan haan theek hai…hum dekhenge
A: Is sale ko to koi bhi mobile dikha k apne paas bula lega…bangaali saala
B: Aisa nahin hai
The rest: abe chalo yaar….exam shuru ho jayega. Thank god bangaali’s tongue wasn’t hanging out!!!

Class XII…..2002
We had to submit some project kind of thing in Physics and Chemistry. One day before the last date…. Some of them produced their reports….. neat …colorful… printed ….very nice.
Abe type kismein kiya??
Word mein.
Aur ye effect?
Abe ye bhi word mein. Dekh…..
I was like…. Are they talking in English?? What’s so special about WORD?? Everyone writes in words….for God’s sake !!! Finally I wrote…in hand…. Some 14 pages of my report(in words, of course)…. ‘designed’ the cover page ….. spent the whole night….and submitted the report next day. I was proud of my report.

After XIIth Board……2002
Mamma….. ab to12^th ho gaya…..ab e-mail id bana lein??
Ye kya hota hai?
Arey….computer se kisi ko mail kar sakte hain…matlab..chitti type ka….turant pahuch jaata hai…..aur abhi JEE etc bhi hai naa….kabhi kuchh zaroorat hua to unse baat kar sakte hain naa …. Bahut aasaan hai.
Accha theek hai.
AND I HAD MY FIRST e-mail ID…..

After JEE (mains) 2002 results were out…..
I was taking to a friend…… and asked his e-mail id…. More so that I can have someone to mail to!!!
Tu messenger kyun nahin use karta hai??
Abe ye kya hota hai??
Arey…. Blah blah blah jaana….. phir blah blah blah click karna…aur phir apne yahoo id se sign in kar lena…. Instant messages bhej sakte ho….. aur offliners bhi.
Acche dekhenge (totally disinterested)
I did not use messenger till August 2003.

Aaj mere paas 1 PC hai… Nokia 6600 hai…. 4 e-mail id hain…. 2 messenger hain….. 1 Blog hai…. 321 se zada ‘friends’ hain……. ..

…….Kabhi sapne mein bhi nahin socha tha yaar !!!