Last week, when it was raining one of the days, Krishnan and I decided to leave all the gadgets behind (phone, smart watch etc) and walk in the rain. It’s amazing how we feel incomplete without these devices !! Every step has to be counted, every call has to be picked up, every message has to be replied to… it’s endless. Especially we can’t imagine a world without Whatsapp or Google search.
Those above 50 have grown up in an analog world. The minute it would rain, we would run out into the streets much to our mother’s discomfort and get all muddy and dirty. Mother’s discomfort was because she had to wash the dirty clothes, we had no washing machine to do it. A few families could afford a maid, and most families taught every child (boy or girl) to wash their own clothes.
My father and all my uncles wash their own clothes, their wives never have to wash them. Dad gave up washing clothes because for Amma it’s an obsession and she washes clothes in a way that they get clean and you don’t even have to iron them. Well, I can see my cousin Pavithra smiling as she reads this because her mother, my Athai (dad’ sister) does the same. We are told that we don’t know how to dry the clothes 🙄.
Anyway, I digressed. Our dependency on gadgets is simply phenomenal. We have washing machines, dish washers, mixer grinders, induction stoves, electric kettles, electric rice cookers, robotic and non-robotic vacuum cleaners, TVs, Laptops, iPads, CellPhones, Wireless headphones, Smart Watches (wonder what that makes us)…. the list goes on. Along with the rise of the gadgets, a few other things also rose – obesity, stress, mindless browsing, digital relationships, ADHD, ADD, Bulimia, IVF etc etc etc. Something to think about. Please think about these things, don’t outsource this to ChatGPT.
It was such fun to walk in the rain, without being concerned about our gadgets. We still took one phone in a waterproof dry bag, because we have to approve the milk man’s entry, Amazon’s entry, fruits delivery etc etc. There was a time when “App” was the short form for Appliances… now even my mother knows it means something through which business is transacted or calls taken or social media accessed.
The overcast sky is magical. It always brings on special memories for Krishnan and I. The first thing we would do, is go out for a ride on our bike as soon as it started to rain. This is ofcourse in Chennai and in the 90’s. We recreated a little bit of that magic in 2009-10 when we would take out our cycles for a rain ride … this was the time, when we were serious PedalYatris.
I still remember taking Kirti out for a drive sometime in 2007 or 2008 when we were at work and it started to rain. Couldn’t let that opportunity go. I asked other colleagues but everyone was seriously at work… only Kirti agreed to come along with me. We were out for 30 minutes but it was super fun. We didn’t take any pictures because our phones were rather primitive and the photos would be terrible.
Yesterday we had the chance to drive in the rain …. just see how beautiful the sky looks and even the Earth :). All picture credits are Krishnan’s, and what amazing photos these are !!!
Enjoy the rains at least one day during the season… just leave the gadgets at home and do a rain walk. Its therapeutic.
We have to be adaptable to trive in this changing world. Remember when we didn’t have these gadgets? They have made us dependent, at the expense of living fully in the present. Enjoy your Now..
Yes, it is therapeutic. In fact, simple things and simple moments are the most precious in life. I believe that Philosophy itself is nothing but living in the present moment. The soon we realize this, the happier we will be