| If anything has changed my life recently it is the arrival
of the cell phone. For me, it is a constant appendage because it's invaluable in the work
I do. Simply, it keeps me connected. I have the comfort of knowing that if there is a
news-break I can be contacted wherever I am. My cell phone in a sense is a mobile office.
It has also made my world more productive. It
is this effect of the cell phone on lifestyles that is the subject of this week's cover
story. It is an unusual phenomenon, for rarely does the introduction of a new product or
service change the social and cultural landscape of a country. In recent times, the
appearance of the Maruti car and satellite tv has managed to alter Indian lifestyles, for
better or for worse. The affordability and availability of the Maruti car offered a
certain mobility to an entire cross-section of India. Satellite TV has offered a wide
spectrum of entertainment at home and connected us to the universe. Now the cell phone is
subtly altering our daily lives. And the numbers are growing. Two years ago, there were
one lakh users across the four metros; today, there are 10 lakh users across 47 cities. It
has even resulted in the emergence of a new breed of people: like the glitterati,
chatterati and flitterati, they may as well be called the cellerati.
That the world is changing is also evident if you look at the
illustrations in this issue. Cosmopolitan and elegant, they are drawn by a 23-year-old
illustrator Nilanjan Das who appeared in my office a year ago with his portfolio. Trained
under Bikash Bhattacharjee, he is a versatile young man. Two issues ago for the impotency
story he used the Macintosh to bring technology into the ancient canvases of Michelangelo.
This week, he's taken an artist's witty view of the cellerati.
Meanwhile, excuse me, my mobile's ringing.
(Aroon Purie) |
