Remember the time when every household had only one big black telephone with the shrill ring tone? It was strategically placed in the drawing room. And every time it rang, the entire family was around to listen in on the conversation. Mom knew which guy had called and why did he talk so long? There was nothing one could hide. Dad glanced at his watch every time one made an STD call. We werent allowed to ramble on unnecessarily, after all it was expensive.

Then there were the Trunk Calls. Everyone hollered as if to say the other party would hear better if one shouted out loud! Then you had the cheeky operator coming on the line to say Three minutes over madam, want to extend it? So one would say yes pleas and then wed get three more minutes. Of course one rarely talked beyond six minutes! It wasnt the done thing.

And todays generation knows no such thing! When they talk, who they talk to, how long they talk, how many times a day they talkwho would know? The cell phone has changed it all. There are Bollywood numbers screeching as ring tones, and every kid is toting his own mobile phone. Things have changed, havent they? Sometimes I do wonder, which is better?