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Take a break

Have we become slaves to the mobile phone and the television, wonders Sushila Kesavan

Given a chance I would like to go back in time when there was no cable or mobile phones. Gone are the days when one had to hunt for an STD booth to make an urgent call. And when you did it was assumed that the other person was available at work or at home. If not, without mobiles, it would be impossible to get in touch. That way the mobile phone gives us a feeling of security that we are always connected to our loved ones.

The problem arises when the mobile is used indiscreetly. I was travelling by train to Chennai. Just as the train started, one of the passengers called his friends over his cell phone. He spoke loudly and his fellow travellers were forced to listen to his inconsequential chatter. This continued right through the journey.

Wherever we go, these mobiles are intruding into our lives. In any gathering you find somebody rushing out with the cell phone ringing. They do not stop till the organisers have to make a strongly worded request to switch the mobile phones off. And there are safety hazards as well. I often read about accidents that have occurred as a result of drivers using cell phones.

Like the mobiles, television serials also rule our lives. People are addicted to them. Nobody is allowed to be happy in the serials. Relationships are made a mockery of. Dinner is a rushed affair in order to accommodate the serial. Are we allowing ourselves to be too dependent on technology? No doubt they make lives easy and comfortable. But what about the mental well-being? The next time you sit with the remote and the cell phone remember, your hand could be better utilised for other purposes like helping out your kid with the school project or the forthcoming drama competition !

SOUND OFF! is a weekly space for you to rant, applaud or talk about anything on your mind. Write to cbemetro@thehindu.co.in and you may get a chance to sound off!

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