Can you imagine life without emails and mobiles?Forget about mobiles. There was a time not so long ago when having a land line at home was a luxury. One had to wait for ten to twelve years to get a phone connection. Going to the neighbour’s house to make a phone call or watch Sunday movie on TV was common and nothing to be ashamed of.

I get nostalgic when I think of those days. A week long wait to watch Chitrahaar on Wednesdays (half an hour show on Hindi film songs) added on to the exhilaration of watching a TV programme. Now, what's the great fun in watching a movie on TV, it is available 24x7 or get a DVD and watch it whenever you want.

People had various reasons to laugh and cheer about - getting a trunk call ( long distance call) after four hours wait,  waiting for the postman in the hope of receiving a letter from a dear friend or a telegram announcing the birth of a child in the family.  People traced happiness in small things.

Fast forward to the new fast track age. Everything happens at the click of a mouse. Want to keep in touch with your sister or friend in US, send an email or just pick up your cell right now (unless it is night time there!).
Possessing a cell phone is no more a luxury, it is taken for granted. Every member of the family possesses a cell phone, sometimes even two -one official and another personal.

Each one may have an independent room and independent vehicles. You may buy anything for children but their happiness is momentary. Every weekend there is a get together or an outing so what's the big deal about another invitation for a high profile party or eating out?

There is an abundance of clothes, toys, books, household items and even marks; a child scoring 85 per cent is an average child; earlier we distributed sweets on getting a first division (60 per cent).

People look for happiness in bigger but elusive pleasures. A lot of people have everything in plenty except time. We have time neither for us nor for others.