Chatting

We are living in times of unprecedented change. The change is quite perceptible in the field of technology. Internet, mobile phones, digital cameras and gizmos that assimilate the features of each of those have flooded Indian markets. They have improved the quality of our life marking a departure from the encumbrances of the previous decades. Also noticeable is the pace at which these inventions invade our lives and become a part of us. We seem to share the same necessity that drove the scientists who invented them. But, we do not take into account the accidental misuse these technological masterpieces and their applications are put to. Look at the adolescents wielding these gizmos and you will witness the havoc they have created in their lives. Even I am guilty of this abuse. I remember being part of the chatting fixation that had taken youngsters by storm. Cyber cafes were crowded with boys and girls who found chatting an economical way of making new friends. Terminals were booked in advance. Time and money were staked in earning friends. Even roommates used to catch one another online. How could I stay behind? I signed up on Yahoo Messenger. Deciding on a user name was a tough choice. Guys who sought compatibility through zodiac signs chose amit_leo and the like. People were at war to attract visitors. Some of the fancy choices were amit_from_dreams, amit_crazy, amit_for_u,.....After sometime, these choices grew common and they seemed silly too. Then it was time for uncommon associations amit_departedsoul, amit_lovehorror, amit_hates_girls. I had to stand out in the crowd of usernames. I chose philosopher_amit thinking this name would cut out my class of people. But, it bore no such luck. For days I ran into users but it cut no ice with them, especially girls. Why would any girl talk to a philosopher? I left no stone unturned to evoke a reply. I packed my sentences with choice words, with humour, improvised quotes from latest movie flicks and put them wittingly into chat. My repartee, to my ill luck, fell flat. Philosopher was losing ground to crazy, departed souls. I realised that in my frenzy of making friends I was resorting to silly play of words, untimely humour and pathetic wit. All this didn't go well with a philosopher's image. But, I couldn't even risk being different. On the other hand, my friends had made significant progress. Some even started a love affair and hearts had been exchanged online. There were also those who dated their online girlfriends. Boys were visiting Pune, Mumbai, Delhi and encashing their find. Some of them had to spend money on their dates and there were those lucky few who enjoyed the hospitality of rich ladies. They left before our eyes with a cross bag that had two pair of clothes and returned with a sack full of branded apparels. Later, a crowd of voyeurs would listen to their erotic exploits and seek inspiration from their example. I analysed that these guys had a long friend's list (a wealth for those times) and they made it a point to meet them all at their convenience paying no attention to time or money it cost these guys. They chatted by day, they chatted by night. It was their consistency that bore fruits. I got the cue. To start with, my user name has to be worked on. I changed it to amit_ultimate. I learnt from a friend how to hack an id from the internet history folder. Some promiscuous girls frequented the net unmindful of the stalkers. I totally stopped entertaining guys. It was an utter waste of time and money. These resources could be utilised to hunt down other girls. I abandoned my self-styled way of general talk - showing no anxiety as to the visitor's identity in the first chat- and dropped the philosophic overtones from my chat. I trod the conventional way of chatting, one that starts with 'asl please'(a=area, s=sex, l=location). I achieved considerable success. But, again made a big mistake. I thought it was unbecoming of me to talk to an Indian girl. My online friends hailed from Bulgaria, Phillipines, Poland, UK and Canada; people who I would never meet. Over a time I ran out of words to keep up their interest.