Since Industrial Revolution the world has seen advancement in the field of science, technology and communication. The mushrooming of easily accessible resources has fulfilled most of our needs. Mechanization and development of scientific temper has led to the ever increasing demand for technologically sound devices and gadgets. Technical know-how was limited to a select few in pre-independent India. Post-freedom, a class of intellectuals who had the potential to create milestones in this field emerged in various parts of the country. Telegraph, Transistor, Telephone - the 3Ts of good old days...have now grown old and weak. The great-grandfathers are slowly being replaced by an ever increasing population of new generation kids like-X-box, I-pad, Android, and PlayBook.
There was a time when only the aristocratic were endowed with advanced devices. In the present world gadgets denote necessity. There is hardly any person who is not aware of it. Every gizmo and gadget epitomizes the generation to which its user belongs. It reflects the personality of its user in some way or the other. For some a Camera may simply be a device to click pictures, and for others it may serve as an object for experimentation. A laptop may be a portal to play games for some while it may be an addiction for others. Every individual is unique and a gadget represents his/her lifestyle and personality.
Gadgets have been a part of my life since a very long time. They not only reflect my personality but also throw light on my journey from childhood to maturity. The first gadget I was introduced to was gramophone record player that formed, and still is an essential part of my household. The melodious sound-tracks kept me at the threshold of modernity and tradition. Then came in the transistor and radio wherein Vividhbharati was the only channel. An important source of information... it served as a means to knowledge and my interaction with the world. Radio City and other such channels became a part of my life when I was in high school. Music soothed my soul and helped me understand the various dimensions associated with life. I still possess a red coloured Radio and Audio Cassette Player that my mother brought for my sister's birthday.
TV (with cable) and VCR player formed the core of 1990s. Old serials and advertisements on Doordarshan formed a memorable part of every Indian's mind born before 1995. From 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara' to 'Mowgli' of Jungle Book, TV as a gadget proved to be a source of abundant wisdom and entertainment. Land-line phone came into existence for me when I was in primary school in Calcutta. My urge to socialize and talk found wings with the advent of this wonderful invention! I still remember how I used to tell my family to dial random numbers so that I could talk to my friends. Once I had found myself in a hilarious situation when I had urged them to dial "1234567". My parents still make fun of me when they remember the incident. Mobile phones were extremely expensive and my first cell phone was a Reliance LG CDMA way back in 2001.My first GSM was a Nokia 1100 with a blinding white torch light and achromatic screen display.
Our first PC was bought in 1998-99 when we used to stay in Kandla. I still remember the green lettered "Datamini" inscribed on the CPU. With the arrival of Personal Computer, the need to have an Internet connection also became a necessity. Long wires were attached to the PC and hence I was introduced to the 'World Wide Web'. My venture into the reality of virtual world became a part of life and I got the opportunity to interact with people all over the globe. I remember my first friend was a girl from Hong-Kong who loved Indian culture and tradition. The first person I ever chatted with from India was 'Bhaskar Bhaiya' from Vizag who even after 11 years is in touch with me. My first email-id (which still exists) became a part of my past and present. Even now when I look at some old mails I wonder how far I have actually traversed...from a schoolgirl to a twenty-four year old!
Preserving memories forms an essential part of my life. Nostalgia brims in every little corner and emanates through everything I use. My gadgets too represent the person in me, my inner personality. My Dell Inspiron 1545, Sony Cyber Shot DSCW350/p; Nokia C5 and I-Pod Nano are four gadgets that I use presently and which reflect my personality.
My Sony Cyber shot is the second camera I am using. My first one too was a Sony. My inclination towards Sony surely says something about my life and choices. I am a person who loves photography. My camera has some features that define my personality. First of all, it is small, inexpensive, compact and easy to use. I personally do not like complications. An expensive camera might click beautiful images but is too complicated for a beginner like me. Secondly the lens is a Carl Zeiss; it has 4X optical zoom and is a 14.1 mega pixels camera. These features enhance its perspective. The picture quality is enhanced and I am able to click the kind of pictures I want to. I find happiness in simple things of life and my camera sufficiently offers me that...
I have been using Nokia C5 for a month now. The best thing about it is that it is sleek, light and easy to handle. I have the option to change its theme and I keep downloading beautiful themes to suit my mobile phone. Different, colourful, cute icons appeal me. With features like 3.2MP camera, Bluetooth, Radio, Music Player, GPS, Voice Recorder and Internet, it is a basic gadget filled with useful features. Unnecessary and cluttered mobile phones with overflowing information simply do not appeal my tastes. The memory card slot is located outside which makes it convenient to use. Nokia phones are user friendly which is an added bonus. I do not prefer a QWERTY keypad and a simple and unornamental phone like C5 is what defines me.
My Apple I-Pod Nano represents my choices. I believe the kind of music one listens to can say a lot about the kind of person one is. It was a gift given to me by my brother-in-law. It is beautiful and very light and easy to handle. I can easily delete and add new songs, change the folders, and also edit my playlist.A small yet powerful gadget,its 16GB storage space makes it a wonderful instrument wherein I can store a lot of songs, videos and audio books.
Gadgets indeed have a great influence on the lives of people. They not only have the power to metamorphose our lifestyle but also to change the way we think. Had it not been for technological advancement and introduction of new devices, our world would have remained stagnant and devoid of growth. New inventions and discoveries occur every day. A few decades back we were unaware of many gadgets that exist now. The disparity between generations is increasing day by day. What is in fashion and popular right now may lose its strong-hold in the days to come. The need of the hour is to adapt and move on. So as to change ourselves with the ever-changing world... Because change indeed is easy!
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Please Note - Source of all the photographs on this post: Internet