The world changed …..

The most important invention in your lifetime is…

When I was a little girl, we went to our grandparents house in Kerala for our summer vacation. An overnight journey on a train from Chennai and two trains later we would be with our maternal grandparents. I do not know about now but then Indian railways used to give lot of student concessions and we used to get our forms certified from our school office for the trip. The excitement began the day we used to take the forms to the school.

I still remember the excitement on my mom’s face when we used to be there. A large family with cousins and amazing nature of God’s own country, Kerala was something a regular in my childhood. But deep in me would miss my dad and my paternal grandparents with whom I was attached. The only mode of communication was through letters which my paternal grandmother would do informing about what was going on there. It would just be a letter or two and then my dad would join us and we would come back home with him.

We didn’t have any television in my mom’s place then since my grandparents lived in their farmhouse which didn’t get much signal. By the time I came back I used to crave for the Sunday evening movies and of course Ramayana and Mahabharatha serials happening every Sunday morning.

Fast forward today, I just talked to my mom over the phone. Not a video call. But I can do it for free. In fact I can now connect with anyone alive on this planet earth 🌍!

The world has shrunk with internet. Travel has become easy. Booking a ticket is not something to be planned well in advance. I think it is cheap too.

Ha, the streaming videos, Youtube and the many resources you do not crave for television. Your handheld device provides it all for you.

Did the world change quick after the invention of smart phones and tablets? Or am I getting old and feel the change to be quick. My kids got their first IPad 2010 Christmas and I got my first Iphone 2012. My life has definitely changed since then 😀!

Just thinking what would we all cousins would be doing with our own tablets and phones if we had done that time. The bonding over food, the home made vadu mangai (mango) pickle or the chakkai (jackfruit) chips would not have happened.

A prompt that got a flood of memories flowing.

Ha Ha I can’t forget the Atlas and printed directions we used before the era of GPS. Hey we miss directions even with this guy but they are few and far apart!

Have a good day All!

16 responses to “The world changed …..”

  1. This made me really feel how much life can shift in ways we never saw coming.

    Liked by 2 people

  2. Very true Ganga, the world has changed a lot- more like magic than technology.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes things happened that we didn’t even dream about!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I still remember how fascinating I found the modem, the internet connectivity and emails.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. From that modem internet we moved to smart devices so fast!

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  3. This reflection is beautifully nostalgic and grounded in lived experience. I love how you weave childhood memories, family bonds, and technological change without judging either past or present. The contrast between handwritten letters and instant connection feels especially tender, and the closing thought about what might have been lost makes the piece quietly powerful.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. You’ve helped bring back some memories of my own there. Lovely to share. Thank you.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. 80s world was so different from what it is today. Didn’t think it would change so fast!

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Good old days Ganga! If we time travel back will we enjoy those days the same way that we did before internet and mobile?

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  6. I do feel blessed sometimes for experiencing the SMART-ness era of the 20th century. Those were certainly the best days, when quality mattered, not quantity. These days, it is just opposite!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. We just had one deck of cards! We were so happy with that! I can’t imagine this generation being happy with it!

      Liked by 1 person

  7. I had made statements that “there is no civilization here”. Now I wish I can be at a place like that.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. world is really changing

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