When Technology Took a Break
Rahul woke up and reached for his phone. He switched
it on, but the screen would not light up. Exasperatedly, he called out,
"Ma, my phone refuses to work." Suddenly, he realised that the fan too was
not working. “What the hell!” he muttered to himself. Rahul desperately needed
to read his WhatsApp messages.
He jumped out of bed and went in search of his
parents. They were out on the balcony enjoying the fresh air and digging into
some papaya. Both sorely missed their morning cuppa, but ‘what cannot be cured must be endured,’ they firmly told themselves.
Expecting a volcanic eruption, Ma broke the news to
Rahul. As expected, Rahul was aghast. “Two days!” he exclaimed. “Two whole days
without food and water!” Below, they could see people scurrying to buy
essentials from the rapidly shutting grocery shops. Pa reassured Rahul, telling
him that there was plenty of fruit in the house and they could subsist on that.
They would have to be frugal with the water.
Educational institutions were closed, so Rahul did not
have to attend college. Ma suggested that it was a good time for him to catch
up on his reading, at least during the day. She would take her break from the
kitchen and household chores. Ma and Pa planned to cosy up with their books.
Parks and gardens echoed with the sound of children’s
chatter and laughter. Neighbours, rather than being holed up scrolling on their
phones, greeted each other, saying more than a hello and even shared whatever
food they could.
Rahul was growing impatient. The authorities had
promised that the power would be restored by midday the next day. He still had
to pass the evening, afternoon, night, and the next morning. He had finished
reading; he needed more activity, so he unearthed the Scrabble board from his
closet and challenged his parents to a game. The family, amid some
lighthearted banter, played an enthusiastic game by candlelight. Elsewhere in
the town, people were singing and strumming guitars. Everywhere in Happypur,
there was a little more communication and conversation.
The Happypurians rejoiced the next day when the power
was restored and everything began functioning again. Rahul, too, was beside
himself with joy, but deep down, he acknowledged that the detox and discomfort
had done him good, as it did the other residents. Some planned a weekly detox and
communion.
Though all had understandably been disturbed by the
breakdown, it had done them good, and they realised, if nothing else, at least a
digital detox was required.
This post is my entry to the BlogchatterBloghop prompt.
Image credit : Freepik and Pixabay
