Noisy netizens

Travelling in train is exciting as one gets to see the scenic views and mingle with co-passengers, however, with advent of technology, people, especially, youngsters delve themselves into their gadgets and create a ruckus. ARUNA RAVIKUMAR recalls her journey from Guntur to Secunderabad

Etiquette the word used to define appropriate behaviour or the way we carry ourselves in society, is something we Indians addicted to smart phones and laptops totally lack.

The phrase ‘Sarvakaala, Sarvaavastha’ (at all times and in all states) used in reference to prayer, where one uttered the name of the divine in good times and bad now seems more appropriate with reference to technology, which enables us to stay perennially connected (waking, sleeping and dream phases included).

Noisy communicators are under the grip of this incurable disease with restlessness, unease and aversion for silence being recognisable symptoms.

My ‘Eureka moment’ about the lack of etiquette evinced by our brothers and sisters came on a four-hour train journey from Guntur to Secunderabad, where passengers irrespective of age, gender or class bid farewell to propriety and basked in the glory of communication.

The discomfort of the seats and the constant movement of vendors selling juices, soups, snacks and dinner paled into insignificance in the face of the onslaught of communication devices that were being used with abandon.

Minutes after we took our seats, which incidentally ensured that you stay put on the edge rather than lean back with the dreadful incline designed for discomfort, various ringtones began to make their presence felt.

Mild beeps, pings, strange sounds that accelerated your heart beat devotional songs and film hits – the wide range of ringtones had to be heard to be believed. The onslaught continued unabated even as the ticket collector checked our tickets quite oblivious to all the cacophony, which to him must have become a daily ritual that had to be endured.

A software employee, who had a long and loud conversation with her friend for over an hour, finally apologised to her friend for not being able to continue the conversation.

There was a sigh of relief from co-passengers but the persistent lady had taken a short one-second break only to get on to a conference call with her colleagues, which was to last for the next one hour.

The young man seated next to her had no complaints as he was totally absorbed in watching a newly released film on his laptop. This meant that we were all to be subjected to a fresh round of torture that included loud dialogues, bawdy action scenes and background tracks that had the capacity to ruin any robust nervous system since our man had no faith in contraptions called earphones.

To add to this melee were a host of WhatsApp videos in different languages, songs and circulated speeches of our crafty Parliamentarians, which are more entertaining than shows by standup comics.

Direct communication between people I realised with alarm is passé and devices are definitely more trusted companions in the new order of things. “Hey, Raj… we are right behind you. Your train seems to have slowed down, delaying us as well.

What are you doing?”… a voice thundered signalling the beginning of a communication overdrive that extended to updates between passengers on different trains as well.

As I got down I resolved to send a petition to the Railway Minister requesting him to issue instructions that all mobile phones be switched off and kept on ‘rail mode’ or emulate the Japanese model, where passengers on their super fast trains are allowed to use mobiles in the ‘text only’ format.

That would surely add a little ‘Zen’ to our otherwise noisy lives at least while we are on wheels.