Obsolete, but useful
By Parveen Ahmed
Old is sometimes still gold. Be it values, objects, or just a way of doing things. Emerging technologies and changing lifestyles are making familiar items disappear from our daily lives. That is, until one day, we are faced with a situation when we are in dire need of that elusive item, which we once took for granted, and perhaps, couldnt live without.
Like an address book or a diary. People dont write down addresses or phone numbers anymore, because we have it all on our phones. And when the phone set is lost, everything is gone. For example, when there is a family event, before we would just look up names in the family phone book and call one by one. Nowadays, it is a real headache having to collect numbers and addresses, one by one. In some homes, you wont even get pen or paper to write a note, unless there is a school-going child around. People dont keep those items handy any more, except for the odd slip pad or Post-It notes. And a writing pad and post boxes _ when was the last you wrote and posted a letter?
And most importantly, a working land phone, has all but disappeared. To be honest, most of us didnt have a telephone, before the mobile revolution came in the late 1990s. But during disasters, like Cyclone Sidr when networks were down everywhere, people were frantically looking for homes that still had a fixed phone to get news of their near and dear ones.
When a countrywide power outage hit a few years ago and generators soon ran out of fuel, many of us futilely searched for candles and torches, and old emergency charger lights, which no longer recharged. And remember how every household would have at least one hurricane lamp and a bottle of kerosene lying around for nightly load shedding? Even rickshaws dont carry hurricanes anymore. And the only candles in the house are likely fancy ones that give off scent, but little light.
Then there are little things like a tea strainer or a bottle opener, since it is all tea bags and PET bottles with screw tops now. Large tailoring scissors and needle and thread are also hard to come by, as few people make their own clothes anymore. And the good old fashioned shil-pata (grinding stones) is going away too as people use blenders and powdered spices. The small stone pata was useful as a hammer or for weighing down the lid of simmering pots.
The other day, an acquaintance could not hear an important interview broadcast live on radio, realising at the last moment that a radio set was no longer kept in the office. The same goes for boats and ferries, which often miss important weather bulletins when mobile networks are down, as hardly anyone carries transistors anymore. Of course, there is the FM option on mobile phones, but who listens to the radio, unless one is stuck in a jam and dying to know the latest news and scores? Even the ever-present alarm clock on the nightstand, and a family camera are all gone, as the smartphone has it all.
The point is we are discarding many old things that are still extremely useful. There are lots of everyday things that we could still need, but dont keep at hand because of lifestyle changes, as technology or easier alternatives take over. The dictionary calls it obsolescence, a state when an object, service, or practice is no longer wanted or popular, even though it may still be needed.
The Weekend talked to some people to see what essential things they should have, but dont anymore. Until that one day, when they really need them!
Mehruba Reza: I remember when I was young I used to go to my hometown in Faridpur, where there was frequent load-shedding. There was a hurricane in every room and I distinctly remember the smell of kerosene burning as it gave me a headache. Recently, during Eid I went there with my family and everyone was talking about how power cuts are not as bad as before. Just then, the electricity went out and we were left to scramble in the dark. I asked my aunt where the hurricane was and she replied, We use the charge light, which has a built in fan to keep us cool as well, but since the load-shedding problem has gone down, we have not recharged it for a while, and I am afraid we have to make do with our mobile phone flashlights, until your uncle can find some candles! With this answer, she sent out the household help to fetch some candles from a nearby shop, while we waited in the dark. After a while, the boy came back and informed us that he could find only two small candles, as the others were sold out in minutes. I guess everyone there is now using these modern appliances with fancy multiple features, so candles and hurricanes are becoming less popular. But that day we realised it is good to have some good old-fashioned candles around for emergencies like that!
Ta Seen Ananya: My story is hilarious. Since I got my laptop and iPad as a student, I forgot how to write down something in an actual notebook and rarely have a pen around. So when I decided to take the IELTS exam, I was a nervous mess as the writing part required me to write two different pieces in one hour! And being confident with my English, I did not practice much but went straight for mock tests. That is when I realised that I have forgotten how to spell words out properly and did not go back to check on the grammar as I am now 100 percent dependent on Microsoft Word to do the deed for me. Long story short, the teacher at the institution where I had enrolled for the mock test told me to push back the exam date and work on my handwriting and spelling skills as I had made 10 spelling mistakes in the first task and another 8 in the second one. It was embarrassing, but it made me realise how dependent I have become on the Microsoft Word application. This is also the case of most of my university friends, who write wonderfully, but when they have to actually write something by hand in the old school style, they lose their confidence.
Somaeya Tareque: I have been using a mobile phone for the last 15 years and one day when I was going through the old dresser, I stumbled upon my old address and telephone directory, which I had been using from 1990 to 2001, before I got my first mobile phone. Actually I used it a bit longer as old mobile phones had limited memory and I had to go back frequently to my address book to make calls. Anyway, as I was leafing through the pages fondly, I came across my school friends number and was so delighted that on a whim, I called her TT (land phone) number. Sadly, her uncle informed me that she had moved to Canada a few years back and gave me her new number. I had to put him on hold while I went around the house on a wild goose chase looking for a pen to and paper to write it down! He was on hold for 10 whole minutes while I searched in vain, then finally turned on my laptop and typed out the number in the virtual notepad. I then realised two things, firstly how I had lost touch with a lot of people since I had stopped using my phonebook, and how after my kids married and left, I do not have a pen, even a paper to write with as I use the note on my phone and reminder app to jot things down. Technology has its benefit, but I just told you some drawbacks.
Taibunnesa Wahab: Since we moved into a flat with a small fitted kitchen about a decade ago, we had to leave behind a lot of things at our old house. One day I wanted to cook some Thai food, and got some sauces. One sauce bottle had a metal cap beneath the plastic screw on top. To my horror, I couldnt find a bottle opener in my kitchen or even at my neighbours. Finally, I had to send my maid to get it opened at a fast food joint down the road. I often feel the need for a boti (foot machete) particularly when cracking open green coconuts. But there is no space on the floor to sit and work, so we have to chop up stuff using knives on the counter tops.
Hasan Mia: I have been running this shop in Mohammadpur for about 25 years now, and I can tell you about a few items that have lost popularity. Back in 1995, some of the top selling items in my shop were candles, pencils, erasers, pens, small notebooks, nails and matches. There was heavy load-shedding at the time and I sold about 200 candles on an average everyday as every household needed it. My son was taking his HSC exams and day after day he would study in candlelight and my wife would sit behind him and gently use the haat pakha (hand fan) to keep him cool. That was another popular item we sold. Those dried palm leaf fans were a necessity back in those days when we did not have all these multi option appliances, which you have to recharge often to keep working. Now I have an emergency light that has a fan and also a bright flash light and if you recharge it for 5 to 7 hours, you will get a good two to three hours use out of it. I do sell small emergency lights in my shop now that have the option of a radio and a tiny flash light and can run for up to three hours. But these items are expensive and dont sell as quickly as candles used to.
Limana Solaiman Mridha also contributed to this article.
Photos: Courtesy, Internet.
