Manas Garg Speaks

Think about an Apple.

No – not the brand. I mean the fruit.

Think about a red, shiny, fresh apple, plucked from a green tree. Doesn’t it look good? This apple is a bundle of sweetness – full of that magical juice that will fill your mouth once your teeth bite into its dark flawless red skin.

Now think what happens when this apple is attacked by ants.

The color of the skin changes from the pretty dark red to muddy brown, the pearly white core following suit. There are narrow paths carved all around the surface, and the ants devour any portion of the apple they seem to like, leaving a trail of destruction behind. They gather in hordes covering the once pretty surface of the apple with their black insect bodies. The apple is no more fit for your consumption, and you feel disgusted picking up the same apple you imagined enjoying every bite of a little while ago.

I’m on a flight just now, and I looked out of the window. I saw the land cris-crossed with roads, houses, and towns made by us on our planet.

It somehow reminded me of what ants do to the apple.

STD-ISD-PCO. A small shop painted in bright yellow, with a couple of booths inside, where fans seldom worked, a table with a few displays and receipt printers. Throw in a couple of telephone instruments and a friendly operator and you have a PCO.

I still remember when the idea of PCOs came in - that was around 15 years back. They were an instant hit. By the way - do you know what does PCO mean? It stands for Public Call Office. ISD is International Subscriber Dialling and STD is Subscriber Trunk Dialling. Legacy terms, eh?

Anyways, those were the days when not having a telephone at your home was the default behavior, and neighbours or landlords calling you to receive a phone call was the norm. In fact, it was a given thing - one could always share their neighbours phone number with others and mark it as PP - I dunno what this PP meant.

When you had to make calls, it was a walk to the PCO around the corner, and wait for your turn - oh - I forgot the importance of timing. Calls after 9′o clock at night were half rate and after 11′o clock were quarter rate. By the way - peak hour call rates were as high as Rs 1.80 per 6 seconds (for distances > 500 km)! Sounds like a dream right? Talk about monopoly!

Anyway, the mobile phone came, the Telecom revolution happened, and everyone got a cell phone. Visits to the PCO became rarer. PCO owners switched to selling recharge coupons for mobile phones. Good riddance!

Don’t you feel proud when you do something, make something? I know you do, so do I. Am sure everyone does.

A weird thought passed my mind today. We moved into a new office building recently - one of the most amazing buildings I’ve even seen or imagined. However that is not the point. This building must have been constructed by hundreds of labourers - hard working men and women who must have sculpted every bit and piece of it - with their own hands. They must be proud.

However, it is such an irony that now that the building is complete, it is out of bounds for those same men and women. They are now a ’security threat’ to the building that requires smart card access. They built it, but they can’t enter.

Something is wrong somewhere with the world, don’t you think?