MERCY KIPGEN
I decided to put this up the very next day at 7pm, but as a being and aware of the fact that we are tightly embodied with our time and place, the situation we
encounter each second made it impossible for me to tag this post regarding my one day experience in a technological grounded life, especially in my community. As it will lead you to encounter a moment worth of spending to think how a half day blackout take you back to the moment once you lived and somewhere your desired to turn back the time and wishes to reflect on it.
A heavy rainfall with thunder and lightning was experienced by the community the night before. Unaware of how strong it was we did not question about the sudden light out, since it hardly happens that a light out takes more than a minute to rekindle the small town, but the day went on without the power till 7pm, by noon the neighbor became anxious over the fact that their mobile battery will be “off” anytime, eventually it led to a flood of inquiry behind the reason for “no power” and it was found that the Transformer exploded the very night due to heavy rainfall. Amidst all the anxiousness and worried faces on to where to charge the respective mobile phones, I witnessed a different world that day.
A simple yet a heartfelt gratitude of laughter and connections filled, was the day. Since the moment the word “Smartphone” can be heard in the mouth of even 3year old boy, smart phone have been controlling the human mind and their daily activities all this time, and for the first time since the last 4years when I left home, I saw people whom I haven’t seen in such a long time, they came out of their respective inn to take a stroll and feel the cool breeze of the winter evening, children shouting while playing seven stone, marble, elastic(a game played with a long rubber band among the girls, also boys), couple walking around, school children returning from their respective tuition classes having fun on the way to their home, unlike another days when they would rush to their respective home just to watch their favorites cartoon shows or play mobile games like Ludo, gold rush candy crush, race, PUBG etc. which is really common this day in the locality, mother-daughter laughing their heart out while sitting in the verandas and some on the lawn at their home, grandparents playing along with their grandchildren, old granny’s and grandpa’s with their staff strolling around and making fun of the kids playing in the mini ground, group of father’s out for meeting, youngster having time of their own after the football match, until yesterday they would be busy uploading a status or updating few stuff in their mobile phone or playing online games
together somewhere in the corner.
It’s noisy I would say its pleasantly noisy for me, that ever have happen, it now feels more like a community than before, it’s beautiful to me, the dust, the cry, the game, the laughter everything seems as its been never heard before. The street in my colony was merrier and happier as it used to be in the past. By 6.p.m the electric department finally succeeded in reinstalling the transformer
and the “lights” lighten up each house and street and within a few moment of a loud cheer and laughter on its return exclaiming “light hung ta ”, “light lak khre ”, “Light comes” the noise dies down, the laughter and cheer remain within the four walls of their homes and everything’s return as if its normal. *"light hung ta"an exclamation use by the “KUKI Tribe” in “thadou language” meaning “the light has comes" *“light lak khre ”, an exclamation in “Meetei language” meaning “the light has comes"