Once Prized, Now Past

Since time immemorial, new inventions have always added more feathers to the man’s creativity hat. From the moment someone bashed a rock on the ground to make the first sharp-edged tool, to the development of Mars rovers and the Internet, several key advancements stand out as particularly revolutionary. With time old inventions get replaced with new ones, so we could embrace a better lifestyle. Below are few such inventions which were once favored that have now disappeared or have become less significant. 

Transistor Radio

Those from the 1950s will speak fondly of a world that revolved around this gadget it brought news from corners of the world to door step. Easily available source of information and melody. The device with small knob navigated through frequency chart, is now replaced by smarter and smaller gadgets. Let gone transistor radio, these days listening to radio isn’t preferred. Radio allows a medium of entertainment which permits millions of people to enjoy same joke at same time, yet it remains lonesome (Yea yea.. TV does it too :P) However it will be part of lovely memories for many people. 

I have memories with this kind. As a kid when I would visit my Grandparents I would be found impatiently adjusting the knob to catch the frequency with least of hush hosh shush mosquito noise... Guess what? I would end up listening to hush hush noise more than music!!! Sigh! 

Roll Films

Remember when photography wasn’t easy, the roll films were pushed forward and more pressure was applied to button to capture precious moments. Roll films were bought one day before festival or family vacation and guarded from excited children so that they didn’t click and finish a roll capable of 30 odd photos. Poses and lights were timed perfect. Rolls were printed and those photos decorated albums and walls. Each photo had different story to tell. (We all know the importance of memories  :P) Now when photography is digitalis-ed, pics are clicked in hundreds and viewed immediately, the importance of clicks has reduced, or increased is still a question ?

Oh My! How many times I have spoiled the rolls due to sunlight exposure? Just once. My family didn't own a camera before the digital world, but yea have used one such kind. I had wasted the complete roll of my neighbour's and later died in embarrassment of spoiling loads of memories of 'them'. So, it was decide cameras were for camera mans or adults. I would rather pose and smile in front of them, until digital world proved to be a boon ;)

Pager

Small portable gadget. Easy to use and flaunt. Their life in market was short lived as when the concept of SMS came they were forgotten and their advertisements were soon replaced by mobile phones.

Did not have the luxury to use these, but yes miss you pagers! Sic!

Telegraph

Its uniqueness was in precise writing and the essential news which it carried. It connected the country for 163 long years. Telegraph offices in big cities were located in beautiful heritage buildings. There were standard greeting telegrams and codes used to convey particular message. The telegram nostalgia will continue gripping those for whom news and message from loved ones came in form of telegram.

For those born in 90's have only done telegram writing to pass in school exams, like me, yayyy :D!! Imagine, if we were leaving in a world where texting would cost based on number of words or rather letters in it, I wonder how many of us would still use Messengers??!! Weird thought right?

Floppy Discs

The slide shows of school project and important browsed files in it, remind of difficult times when data storage and maintenance was not easy. Teachers even taught in schools the ways of adorning house after their failure with wall hangings.The last floppy disk rolled off the presses in 2011 with enough space to hold half a song. It is survived by its offspring, the USB drive.

For some reason floppy discs remind one of assignments in juniors, don’t they? I even remember my primary school computer teacher had made a pen stand out of wasted floppy drives. Creative! I loved pulling the one side of it and admiring it black smooth shine circular thing inside :)! Memories!

Gramophone

Picture a gramophone and you would picture it with black and white background. Thanks to our Indian Cinema which introduced this device to young children who weren’t born in decades ago. Any period film without the glimpse of gramophone is incomplete. It's mere presence vindicates the time-frame of the movies, isn't it? You will find it in almost all the movies of Guru Dutt. Nowadays it decorates the home of antique lovers and museums as now listening to music is possible anywhere and everywhere.

I would love to have a gramophone miniature or antique at one corner of my future home!I have never witnessed these thingies playing music in real though! For the love of music and our history! Peace \/ !!

Typewriters

The punching of keys sound is the signature sound of typewriters, which is somewhat similar to sound of marching soldiers. Now found in few government offices, the tiresome typewriter typing will soon lose its touch with reality with time changing and advancing so fast. But, the QWERTY key pattern will live long!

Oh Yes!! I have had a pleasure of using these, courtesy my Dad's office! The noisy key punches, the slide after hitting each row ! You are not missed!

Cassette Tapes

Cassette tapes remind of the time when knowing the lyrics of song would mean over using those three buttons – Play, Pause, and Rewind. These are even used for making lamp shades or wall hangings creatively as no one plays these any more. Still half of the households have cassettes in their possession which simply tell the love for them.  Giving away the possession which once used to be prized isn’t easy. 

I have fond memories, playing these in tape recorders (if I am not wrong) on both sides or ends. Quite an impressive piece of technology of storing music on such fine sheets of plastic . And later after getting wasted, DIY projects for fun and decor! Miss you!