How things have changed

in just the last 15 years, which can be equated to half-a-generation. The reason for this post is to compare then and now, and wonder what is more to come in the next 15 years..

1) TV:

Back then we had only DD; as many of you have written, one had life's curious and exciting moments such as knowing what is the Sunday movie on a Wednesday, seeing some dramas unfold in cheap and dumb indoor sets, and predicting the songs of a 'theme-based' Olium OLiyum. And the only cricket matches one can see LIVE would be those involving India.

Now, we all know how many varieties of TV channels we have got. In the past few months, I have seen a surge in the number of websites which offer LIVE TV programs, of several channels, including Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam. If you missed a program due to some reasons, no need to worry.. the websites keep many such programs (most TV shows and serials) to be viewed later. Thus, there is virtual 'Oliyum oLiyum' of almost all of one's favorite songs, just by a click of the mouse, available all the time. Even cricket matches can be watched LIVE and one can catch up on the match highlights anytime in many websites (including youtube).

2) Movies:

New movies are available to be viewed max. a week or 10 days after its release. Legal and moral issues apart, good movies do get watched in theaters and manage to create records. Even the list of old movies available for watching is continuously growing. This is true for Tamil, Hindi and Hollywood movies. It is a virtual library of uncountable movies.

3) Music

Those were the days there were only a few singers to who consistently appeared in hit Tamil albums - SPB, Mano, Yesudoss, Chitra and Janaki. Nowadays, it is pretty hard to spot less than 6 or 7 singers in any hit album.. Also, the rendering of voice by Hindi singers for Tamil songs created news; now, it would be a news if there is none of Udit Narayan, Shreya, Madhusree, Adnan Sami, or Diva girls in any hit album. New singers are heard much more often nowadays. This adds variety to listening experience. FM channels, downloadable songs, online radio channels and music-in-cellfones have gradually made music more readily accessible.

4) Communication:

Gone are the old days when one had to rely upon public telephone booths and home telephones to make phone calls. Now, your friend/relative is always accessible, thanks to mobile phones. I have seen the kind of information exchange that takes place nowadays; it has helped to virtually shrink the globe into a really small place. The importance of letters has tremendously reduced. Also, via the internet, it is possible to make new friends who share common interests. Blogging is one good example; it gives nearly free-access to information/idea exchange. In addition, the recent surge in technology has benefited scientific community, for searching, accessing, and analyzing information. Products such as GPS have made travelling a fun-filled and enjoying activity.

15 years from now, what are we gonna be having, that we can hardly perceive now? One way to look at it is interms of cost reduction; hi-fi products that are too expensive to be affordable now will become cheap; the other is a vast number of gadgets that are yet to be discovered. I hear that wireless technology will be the king of the next decade. Let us see how it impacts our lives.. I am looking forward to motion-detected collision preventer for cars.

While we fortunate ones are leading a high life, if one stops and thinks about almost half the population of our country, their life has hardly ever changed in the past 15 years. And it is most likely to be so during the next 15 years as well.. :(

PS: Came across a very funny video with hilarious lyrics. Now, that is my 'Current favorite video'. The voice and accent of the singer, the animation, the expressions of the dancer, and the dance are all so funny. I had a hearty laugh.. Watch and enjoy.. :)