The Telephone.........
Alexander Graham Bell gave us the first ring tone by inventing telephone at t
he age of 29 in the year 1876
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First Voice...
Alexander Graham Bell's notebook entry of 10 March 1876 describes his successful experiment with the telephone. Speaking through the instrument to his assistant, Thomas A. Watson, in the next room, Bell utters these famous first words, "Mr. Watson -- come here -- I want to see you."
Alexander Graham Bell's notebook entry of 10 March 1876 describes his successful experiment with the telephone. Speaking through the instrument to his assistant, Thomas A. Watson, in the next room, Bell utters these famous first words, "Mr. Watson -- come here -- I want to see you."
90 years later in 1966 for the first time I used AG Bell's discovery at Bareilly, where my father was posted. Telephone in India at that time was meant for the selected few in any city. We never had phone at home .This instrument which I used for the first time was installed at my relative's place in Bareilly. He was the Dealer for Escorts Tractor & Motor cycles.
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We had gone to do a long distance. Unlike today there were no STD booths . The procedure to book a call was simple (complicated in today's norms). Pick up the receiver and wait as we hear the sound of a ringing bell in the receiver. At the other end, a telephone operator would pick up and asked for the number. After noting down the number the operator would then ask " Any PP? " ( Particular Person). We would provide the name of the PP. The next question from the operator was"duration of call please ?". Generally it used to be in the multiples of 3 minutes or 6 minutes. We were to be charged accordingly. Operator's next question was, "urgent or ordinary call"? Normally we would book Ordinary call since the rates were half of the Urgent call.
It would take an hour or more to get an ordinary call matured. Some times we had to wait for hours together to get the call. The time factor also depended on the distance. The longer the distance, the more the time for the call to get matured. How ever if we wanted to get the call immediately, then we could book a Lighting Call. As the name suggest it was instant but we had to shell out 10 times more money then the urgent call.
It would take an hour or more to get an ordinary call matured. Some times we had to wait for hours together to get the call. The time factor also depended on the distance. The longer the distance, the more the time for the call to get matured. How ever if we wanted to get the call immediately, then we could book a Lighting Call. As the name suggest it was instant but we had to shell out 10 times more money then the urgent call.
Lighting call was done only in extreme emergency. When ever we booked a lighting call it was more official in nature. But we ensured that we were surrounded by couple of staff, friends, visitors in order to create an impression on them that we are booking a lighting call.
Once the call was through we would get a call from the operator and then it was thunder and lighting with lot of excitement. We would shout at the top of our voice, talk very fast( since the time was running out), pass the receiver to ensure that as many people could talk and in order to make the best use of our talk time . Once the call was over, there was a great relief and the atmosphere was upbeat. Getting a call matured was a feat in itself.
Today when I look back I realize we have taken a quantum leap in terms of phone technology but we have lost out on ...
Excitement...Enthusiasm... Exhilaration... Enjoyment ...and the Anticipation of a call getting matured
Once the call was through we would get a call from the operator and then it was thunder and lighting with lot of excitement. We would shout at the top of our voice, talk very fast( since the time was running out), pass the receiver to ensure that as many people could talk and in order to make the best use of our talk time . Once the call was over, there was a great relief and the atmosphere was upbeat. Getting a call matured was a feat in itself.
Today when I look back I realize we have taken a quantum leap in terms of phone technology but we have lost out on ...
Excitement...Enthusiasm... Exhilaration... Enjoyment ...and the Anticipation of a call getting matured
A great recall of the old times indeed.I too have some pleasant memories..
ReplyDeleteDuring some 16 months of my Wintering Expedition to Indian Scientific Station Maitri i was entitled by the Government to talk to my separated family for 18 minutes. So I, like others, used to try once in two months hoping that we could say hellow to our families once bimonthly for about two minutes. After going through the exhcanges repeated 'hold kariye', it was a rare pleasure that we could at time get through.!!
i have read ur blog.. hmm..some picture are really looking pleasant to eyes..and the articles are nicely woven.. hmm..i hope i will develop a blog like this too
ReplyDeletehttp://reviewforpublic.blogspot.com/
guys this is relatively a new blog.. hm..and i got small number of posts.which are quite interesting with awesome pictures.. do check it out.. :) cheers..
Vivid recall of the bygone days. Though i, as a young person, does not have very antique memory like you but yet during our childhood days saw the similar kind of situations. I remember going to one uncle's house to call relatives to inform about my grandma's death. We assured him that we will pay the amount when the bill comes. Then we also had to do same kind of booking the calls for long distance calls. Soon we got telephone installed after waiting for three years. That too had only local dialing facility. It would be locked by parents. So if I need to call a friend, I need to beg my dad. He will open it and stand beside me so that I will finish the call soon. Great memories. Mobile in-comings became free only when I was in college. Till then when we see a person with mobile we used to wonder how rich he might be. But now thanks to innovation, everyone holds not one but more than one mobile.
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing,when we think about the thing,which has been passed over the time and decades..it looks very special (antique),when the things become oldest itself by the time.the day which is not so far away ,when our latest tech. Like phones,smart phones,tabs all would be old age magical parts,technology,and yeah it was really amazing moment when I saw the AG phone first time when I came to know in this scientific world at my relative's home ,is still in memory,when I asked him what the hell ?(is this), he replied this is the Bell...
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