Friday, October 29, 2010

Would you do away with your watch?

An interesting news item caught my eye when I was reading my daily dose of news. The headlines read "Wristwatch may be the next casualty" and according to the article, a study has found that more and more people are preferring to rely on newer technology like mobile phones and computers to keep track of appointments, meetings and even to keep track of time. A watch, if used at all, is more for its brand value and designer aspect than for seeing the time. Hence, the study concluded that over a period of time the wrist watches are likely to become obsolete.

Reading that made me reminiscence about my student days. I remember during our time and even during my mom's time, HMT was the most prestigious Indian brand of watch. So if one had an HMT watch, one would wear it with great pride. Watches were quite expensive by our standards in those days and we children had to be "eligible" to wear one. It was almost considered as a  family heirloom. My mom used to tell us that her father bought one for her when she was in tenth grade and it was also standard at that time that it should be passed on to her daughters when they reached important milestone like getting into the tenth grade. We almost waited for that moment and when my elder sister got my mom's watch as a gift I was more than eager to get into tenth grade just so that I could also become the proud owner of a watch!! 

Well the day came and that day was a very special day and with great pride, I got to wear my mom's beautiful HMT watch (of course my sister got one of her own watch). Owning one's own watch also signified that we were now mature enough to take care of expensive items. I must say the tradition passed on till my youngest sister got it. Just imagine the watch ticked for all those years and years. True to its name, HMT stood by us as the time keepers of the nation.

And therefore, it was sad to read this article predicting the demise of the watch. Definitely the times have changed and are changing faster than I like.

4 comments:

kalpana.batchu said...

This blog really took me back into my childhood.I just can not forget the importance of HMT watch which was gifted to my mother by my dad.I had challenged myself to secure top marks after seeing watch on my elder sister's wrist.Obviously got it and i am on top of the world finding it on my own hand.yes i agree now the same watch is kept in my treasure chest and had left me lot of sweet memories.

shobhana shenoy said...

Hi Kalpana,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, that definitely would have been a very proud moment for you. I guess our children would definitely miss out this cherished moment as they would hardly remember the first watch that they would have been given as these days it is use and throw concept.

Iago said...

I was doing some random googling and reached to your blog.
Well must say it clearly brings out a great comparison our present with our parents past.

shobhana shenoy said...

Hi Sanjeevani,
Thanks for reading and commenting on my blog. Yes,time sure has a way of moving faster than we can keep pace with. Keeping up with the changing times is surely an art that we need to learn.