Karan came back from the shop after buying a new cover for his mobile. He placed his mobile on the table and went to his room to study. Sensing that no one was around, Karan’s wristwatch slowly peeped out of the draw. It saw the mobile admiring its new cover.
“Hello! Has Karan bought a new cover for you again?” asked the wristwatch.
“Yes! Don’t you just love the colour?” said the mobile. “And don’t be jealous that you don’t get such special treatment. It’s just that I am more useful to him than you are.”
“I was Karan’s favourite before you came into his life as a gift from his uncle. From that day on, he has forgotten all about me,” moaned the wristwatch.
“I still remember how he would tie me around his wrist and take me along wherever he went. He was so proud of me. He would even show me off to his friends,” it remembered. “But look at me now—I am covered in dust and my battery has become weak. I think I will stop working after a few days.”
“Why would Karan want you when you are not useful to him anymore?” asked the mobile phone.
“That’s not true. When Karan was younger, I was used to teaching him to tell the time. His parents and teachers pointed to me to teach him punctuality, to be on time for school and to keep up with his schedule. Through me, he learnt that time once lost cannot be regained. So, he would be very careful about how he spent his time. But why doesn’t he tie me around his wrist anymore?” wondered the watch.
“That’s because I do a lot more things for him, besides just telling the time. I can talk, take photos and give him directions to wherever he wants to go. They call me a smartphone for a reason!” boasted the mobile. “So, now that I am here, you are not needed.”
On hearing this, the watch became sad. “Perhaps, the mobile is right. Karan doesn’t need me anymore,” it thought gloomily.
A few days later, Karan’s exams began. He returned home quite upset after his first exam.
“How was the exam, Karan? Was the question paper difficult?” asked Karan’s older brother, Rajeev. brother, Rajeev.
“No, it was an easy exam. I was happy when I received the question paper because I knew all the answers,” replied Karan.
“Then, why do you look upset?” asked Rajeev.
“I could not finish answering all the questions. I did not have a watch with me, so I lost out on the time I had to answer each question and plan the answers accordingly. I ended up spending a lot of time answering the first few questions. When the examiner announced that we had only 15 minutes left, I realised that I had a lot more questions to answer and could not finish it,” said Karan glumly.
“But why didn’t you wear your watch?” asked Rajeev.
“I completely forgot about the watch. Ever since I had started using the mobile, I had no use for the watch. So I guess, I eventually got out of the habit of wearing it,” said Karan.
“I agree that the mobile phone is very useful, but each gadget has its own
importance and limitation. Last week, one of my friends could not board the train because of the smartphone,” said Rajeev.
Karan was surprised. “What happened?” he asked.
“He was in the waiting room at the railway station and was playing games on his mobile. He was so engrossed that he forgot to keep track of the time and soon, the battery drained off as well and the phone switched off. Only after he asked someone for the time, he realised that he was late for his train and by the time he rushed to the platform, the train had left. He couldn’t even call anyone right away to make alternate arrangements as his phone had no battery,” said Rajeev.
“You are right, Rajeev. Mobile phones can be distracting and divert our attention from important things if we are not careful about how we use it,” agreed Karan.
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“Anyway, now start preparing for your next exam and this time, take your wristwatch with you,” said Rajeev.
“Of course! First, let me quickly rush to the store and get new batteries for my watch,” said Karan.
The mobile phone and the wristwatch quietly listened to the entire conversation between Karan and his brother.
Both the watch and the mobile realised that they were important in some ways and had limitations in others. They decided to complement each other instead of fighting over who is better.
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