Nostalgia Nearby

The first time, when something as unholy as a phone was brought to our homes, it stayed in the hallway, in a small separate room for itself.  In hindi they were called 'alla'.  Also used in old time to leave a burning oil lamp, even after people had electricity at home.  Since lighting a lamp in the evening is considered sacred in Indian homes (I would guess all ancient societies).  

General Knowledge points for telling naming these things...I have written later in the post.  I was amazed as well.  But there was a shop that sold vintage stuff--and I could not resist walking in.  Karlstad, Sweden, 2014.

One of my earliest memories of using the telephone is trying to climb up the sofa, and reaching the phone sitting in a little box like hole in the wall between our bedroom and living room.  It had tiny 'doors'  that hung down when you opened them to access the phone.  I remember whenever I was punished for not finishing my homework and made to sit in the bedroom to work, because the living room had television, I would try to sneak a look from this hole, hoping that the other side of the door was down as well.  

Having doors on both the sides made the phone accessible from both the rooms.  Phone was important and an expensive commodity.  I remember when we grew older we would put a lock on it because sometimes guests would make phone calls and make a habit of never asking to cover the costs.  As is the case in India, no one ever asks, and we would have huge phone bills.  I remember making a little note with sketch of a phone booth--also going extinct now--that said, 'please keep it short'.  

I also remember we were one of the two families that had phone in the neighbourhood, which meant ,we often got to deliver messages.  Mom would send me, 'go run to Vijay uncle's house and let him know his uncle from the US will call in two hours.'

Ah, the days of trunk calls.  

It was an ongoing party, at least for us kids. We would get sweets when we delivered the messages, and if and when people had to accompany us back, then mom would make tea and bring out nice snacks for the guests, who chatted while they waited for the phone calls.  

Well, gone are the days.  In the next two decades most people would get phones, we saw the transition from phone 'dials' to phone 'punch'--where instead of dialling you would punch the phone numbers.  

I left home, and while in Africa I would walk for about 15 minutes to get to the closest phone, in the US, phone could get connected by a phone call. That simple!!

While in the beginning I paid via check that was mailed it, I quickly to paying via credit card soon as I had one.  I remember when I got my answering machine, what a joy it was. My second year in the US.  How fun it was to change the answering message.  A few years later, I had one for every season!!

And then major shifts started to happen, one that was quite ironical for me was a flat rate--now for a flat rate every month you could make unlimited number of calls to the US and Canada.  But now, I had little time.  When I had the time there was no money.  

I kept avoiding cell phones, because I did not want to be accessible.  But the move to Fiji changed it.  I was back in the world where getting landlines was time consuming and I really needed a phone.  I remember once using a public phone to call within Fiji and it seemed to me that the call had gone through the US....to connect back to Fiji.  

Mobile phones became a necessity ---as much as I detested sending texts, I relied on them for so much communication.  

But now with the instant messaging, mobile phones that are more like computers---our way of conducting ourselves is different.  What is feasible is different.  Now we do not walk to deliver messages, we actually text before we visit to ask if it is ok to visit....we are constantly glued to screens, be it computers or phones.

A moment of recognition came when a year before I owned a cell phone, on a visit to India, I was in a  room where everyone but I was on their cell talking to someone else, while all of them had come to visit me, since I had not been back in a while. 

I am not going to engage in conversation about what cell phones have done and what they imply for the material on that is rich and available.  

I want to talk about what happened about a week ago, that made me think of not only the phones but simplicity of living in towns where people are generous and trusting.

I walked into this store that was selling some vintage stuff. I wanted to buy a container just to store lentils. Nothing special about it, but the color matched other containers I have --so I picked it up and walked inside--right into nostalgia lane. There were these old things some which I recognised, others I didn't but I knew that it was a store selling old things, that now will be considered relics!!

Music the owner played was from the 1970s as well.  

And what is that--I pointed to these little benches, that I thought were probably writing desks to be used while sitting on the bed.  Öh, those were used for keeping phones and then he pointed at some old phones.  I smiled.

When I handed him my card, he said his machine was not working and that he required cash.  But I didn't have any.  And then he waived his hand and said, 'Oh, just take it'

No--I protested.

No, please, and he smiled.

Ok, I will bring back the money, I live close by. 

Not to worry.

I walked out cleansed of nostalgia --and the pain that comes with it, because in the present, he had shown a value that today seems forgotten.  

But I guess, kindness will always be in fashion!!