Hey there,

 

This one is about the storm that we never saw coming.

 

I have always loved a segue in life. It differentiates well between the past and the present. At times, however, I forget that this very segue might also be a quiet storm that engulfs all of us until we look back one day and realize, 'Wow, remember when you used to do that?'

This is the story of one such silent storm.

 

It was the perfect Sunday morning; perfect because I had mummy-wrapped myself in the blanket while the A/C was on the perfect temperature (real ones know it’s 22 degrees) and the fan was just on the right speed. Getting out of bed seemed like an injustice to my perfect conditions but our ritual of ordering in on Sundays freshened me up. Not thinking twice, I galloped to the kitchen to sift through takeout menus. Just as I was about to call the restaurant, my dad informed me of this new website - zomato.com. It let one order online. I thought I would try it out and voila - it worked! They delivered our food on time with minimal human interaction… ‘Wow, I am loving this’, I thought. On the other hand, the quiet storm grinned.

 

One Friday, as I skimmed through show timings for a new movie in the newspaper, I remembered something. A friend had guided me to this new platform - bookmyshow.com. A mere three-four clicks of your mouse and you could get tickets delivered to your mail. And as I did it, I had won myself another eureka moment. Woah, how exciting that was! We walked past the line of people buying their tickets at the counter. We had triumphed! ‘Why would do someone do that ever again?’ I thought to myself as we entered the cinema. The sneaky storm was smiling wide now.

 

We’d go on holidays often. It was our cameras and us. Mobile phones nonchalantly creeped their way into our exclusive vacations followed by smartphones, shortly after. One day, cameras were left behind and the convenience of a smartphone with a good enough in-built camera made our bags lighter. On a beautiful hilltop one day, my mom saw me click a picture and wondered as I continued looking into the phone. “What are you doing?” My mom asked. “Instagram, mom!” I really had to update my 41 followers of my whereabouts. The storm didn’t have to tiptoe anymore.

Guess what? I seldom looked behind. I forgot all about the technological storm and how it took over… but it did. Now, I can’t imagine life without the tools at my disposal. 'Life's easier now, right?' I constantly ask myself. But I don’t think the real question can ever be answered. 'At what cost?'

 

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