Ware & Wear

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Ours is a Nokia-Airtel Family.

Over the past ten years we must have bought as many Nokia cell phones...some lost, some dead and some defunct. Whenever my son upgrades to a new model, I inherit his, my wife mine...

But there is a jinx: whenever my son has to travel abroad, his Nokia croaks in the morning and there is then a scramble because I am paranoid about communication with him.

Once it happened during his flight. On his way to the US via Dubai by the Emirates from Hyderabad, he called me just before take-off saying he will be back in touch after landing in Dubai. But within minutes he gave a text message that he may be out of touch. Apparently, his phone refused to switch off and the cabin crew were hounding him. After giving the sms, he had to remove the battery to silence his cell phone.

He tried to get it 'repaired' at the Dubai Airport, but, you know Dubai is not like Chintal Basti. He had to buy a new Nokia at Dubai Airport; and after getting back to Hyderabad, I could get the repair done in 2 minutes at Chintalbasti @ Rs 50 (the switch-off 'button' had to be replaced).

He is again traveling to the US next week, and this morning his latest Nokia E-63 (?) palm-top wasn't recognizing her memory card. The Dealer inspected and found that the phone is fine, only the card is dead and he replaced it with a new one.

And, on being asked about G-3 (the next generation of the infamous G-2) he was told that his 'firmware' had to be upgraded (which he did at home just now).

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So, there you are!

'Firmware': the latest geek addition to my vocabulary, after software and hardware.

I have always contended that any number of times you read a word, it won't be yours; till you 'use' it creatively.

I had used 'hard and soft ware' in one of my blogs for 'steel and cement' and felt very happy.

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What about 'wear'?

One morning at breakfast time in our Faculty Hostel, I was reading about someone 'wearing sideburns'.

I didn't know what sideburns were and asked my Guru, VR, sitting beside me and he said they were the ones that a certain Faculty Member who daily commuted between Cal and KGP used to sport.

And then I asked VR why 'wear' a hairy stubble?

And he charmingly answered: "It is like you 'wear' your skin".

VR was a genius!

This use of 'wear' must have been hibernating within me for 40 years:

Soon after his marriage, my son left for the US for 6 tormented weeks during which period our D-i-L was with us in Hyderabad getting used to a potty F-i-L.

Suddenly my cell phone rang and it was a pleasant surprise call from Indra's father RKM, saying that he is in Hyderabad for the evening and wants to have a look at the new bride Sailaja. So, we both drove down to the 5-Star Hotel he was lodging in and fetched him home for Dinner.

And while leaving, he shyly slipped Rs 2000 into Sailaja's hands, saying that Mrs RKM wanted to buy a Dress and gift it to the new bride, but he didn't know what she wears.

And I grabbed the chance of a lifetime and proclaimed:

"She wears a beautiful smile"

Since then Sailaja adds an extra spoon of sugar in my Tea (misti hoyechey?)

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There was this friend of mine whose marriage I practically saved:

http://gpsastry.blogspot.com/2010/03/fish-n-chips.html

He was the most prolific publisher in the ME Dept and almost every issue of a Journal called: 'Wear' had a Paper by him... he rose to become its Editorial Board Member maybe.

He was the world-renowned expert in Friction & Lubrication and hence Wear.

I used to taunt him who is 'wearing' out whom; the 'Author' or the 'Journal'?

And funnily every Paper of his had 'Journal' in its title.

I had to look up Webster and find that one of the meanings of 'journal' is:

"the part of a rotating shaft, axle, roll, or spindle that turns in a bearing".

One lives and learns at KGP (if one wants to as Diro KLC used to say)


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