Respected Madam/ Sir,
For three years, I am having same mobile phone. Same phone. It is Samsung phone. What is the memory? I don’t know. What is the processor? I don’t care. What is the operating theatre? Mannangkatti.
In office of your esteemed newspaper, maybe you people are thinking, oh my god we thought Mr. Mathrubootham is retired person but with lot of youth type outlooks. But whether actually he is Jambuvan period type who is still saying video tape and eight annas and watching Doordarshan?
Don’t speak like muttaals.
I don’t care for any phone details because what is phone? Phone means what? You put phone call, you put WhatsApp, put some videos, maybe call taxi. Finished. For that and all why I need biodata and horoscope and Aadhaar card of phone?
Total time waste. But some people will talk about phone as if marriage proposal. Marriage proposal even they will not do so much research. Memory is good but height is low. Boy’s height good but he has taken 11 years to do graduation. Very good family and very good house and very good neighbourhood but where is the megapixel?
Two months ago, Mrs. M bought one new mobile phone. And she did research for one day? Wrong. Two days? Wrong. One week? Wrong wrong. One month? Nonstop wrong. Madam/ Sir, she did research for full two months. I said, Kamalam, you are buying phone or once more doing M.Sc. in Zoology? She said, you please go and sit and play out-of-fashion games on your phone, my new phone is waterproof. I said, oh amazing, now you can watch Madhavan videos during bath also. She quietly looked at me and said: Correct. Any problem?
Why I am putting phone speech? This morning my son who is working from home came to me and said, Appa, please install one new app on phone. My company is developing. I said, ok, no problem. What app? He said, it is amazing new app for ordering food from nearby restaurants. I said, congratulations kanna, you have come up with brand new idea first time in India, please check if it is new idea in whole world.
He said, hahaha Appa, so funny. Alistair Maclean will write same move 35 times and you will read nonstop. But my app is problem-aa? In India no one will give money for new app. Originality and all for U.S. only. Please quietly give your phone.
Ten minutes later he said Appa, memory is finished. Please delete some items. I said, oh my god, please give me the funny intolerable headache.
Madam/ Sir, that is when unbearable sentiments are coming into the heart. I opened Google Photos and app is saying look at this photo from last year, from five years back, whether you have seen this photo, this one, what about this? Like that, like that.
And who is in these photos? Madam/ Sir, some old friends who are no more. Rajan from college. Thomas J.J. who was colleague in Ujjain branch. Some photos from get-together in Yercaud, 2012. Suddenly I am seeing photos and memories are coming like anything. For one hour I sat and looked at photos and photos.
Then I called Mrs. M. I said Kamalam, I want to buy new phone. This one memory is finished. I want more memory. She said why, you’re thinking of Suhasini videos? I said no, no, Kamalam, I want to keep photos safely forever. She said, no problem, old man. I will find one new phone. Give me two months.
Now I am waiting and taking care of old phone carefully.
Yours in reminiscences,
J. Mathrubootham