Street sounds & senses

With more and more vendors opting for the megaphone, the old world charm of street sounds has been slowly fading away, rues Radha Prathi

The other day, I pricked my ears up when I heard a new voice from a vendor marketing vegetables at a reasonable price. What caught my attention was the fact that the seller instructed the prospective buyers to carry their own bags. I liked that terse announcement which reminded us to be eco-friendly. I decided to give this enterprising man some business.

I readied my baskets and purse and planned to step out when I could hear it closer home. As the decibels grew louder, I noticed a pattern. The tenor and the tone of the voice seemed to be very consistent. The contents of the call were invariably in the same order culminating with the instruction to carry our own bags. When I heard it for the 12th time, monotony set in. All the same, I waited for the veggie van to arrive outside my gate, when it did come, the driver-cum-vendor jumped out of his driving seat. However, the sales pitch did not cease. I noticed the megaphone attached to the top of the van and realised that the smart guy had recorded his advertisement and was playing it. I was struck by his ingenuity. He was conserving his energy and doing his job by using technology.

He sold his consumables, increased the volume, and moved on. As I was sorting out my oversized bag at home, I noticed a new trend had set in. People canvassing for votes, reminding people about polio drops, selling covers for electrical appliances and plastic goods among other such sellers had opted for recorded advertisements for their convenience.

Almost immediately I was transported to times when I was reminded of the guy who sold greens in our area. He would come up with a customised call outside each house, for he was familiar with our buying habits. Then there was this old man who sold fruits.

He would chant the names of the fruits in various languages. He would make sure that he used the lingo of the household when he called at their homes.

Well, as they say, change is the only constant. The march of sounds from the streets may alter its pitch and content, but the aural dimension will remain. The streets of India will continue to come alive in its own unique ways. It will blend seamlessly into the fabric of our society and will be absorbed by our senses and retained as fond memories as those voices from the past did!