Gone with the wind?

India Today commemorates 30 years of its magazine being in print in its latest issue. It touches upon some interesting trends, moments in history and culture of the last 30 years.
It has done an article on “Gone with the wind”- outdated technologies replaced by more efficient ways of fulfilling a need.

My favourites among these are:
Angry young man: Generally unemployed, prone to beating up men at the slightest provocation. Had prolonged bad hair days
Replacement: The sensitive new- age man

Amar Chitra Katha:
A pictoral depiction of Indian history, Hindu mythology, folklore and culture.
Replacement: Smarter comics and Harry Potter

Letter Box:
A red box would gulp in the handwritten letters and miraculously deliver them to the addressee. Usually weeks and months later, sometimes never.
Replacement: emails

The article does an interesting turn on some contemporary world changing innovations and trends. But it lead me to think (on a day stuck at home with the flu), change comes and goes so quickly, that I cant remember the last time I dropped a letter into a letter box, or read an Amar Chitra Katha. And I definitely do not find the angry young man with messy hair and pounding people to bits at the drop of a hat even vaguely appealing –but I know a generation ago, my mom’s friends thought that brand of men were very sexy.

In this age where we are surrounded by various sources of information, reaction time is vital, that decisions very often aren’t thought through. Every reaction unlocks a chain of events that cannot be reversed. Hindsight brings great wisdom, but sometimes, its just too late.

But when I try to pinpoint the time when I stopped dropping my letters into a postbox, or having penpals across the world replaced by “friends” made on ICQ (another outdated web device), I realize I can’t.

Malcolm Gladwell talks of change being a cumulative effect in his book- The Tipping Point and that there is one incident after a series of others that alters the course of history.
But try as I might, I really can’t remember the last time I posted a letter. While being too busy responding to the moment, has the world stopped taking coffee breaks? Or is it just me???

Bigger, better, faster, more relevant technology replaces older ones, but essentially human needs still stay the same. So excuse me please while I pass on the Red bull and take a sip out of my filtered bittersweet smelling coffee.


On another note, had a ball of a time on the weekend with dC and VJ. Three good friends, a new place to see and conversations to be had. Thanks guys :)