Today’s generation converse about 60 per cent of the time via SMS. From news updates to passing on important messages is carried out through SMS. This has eventually made way for new trends of communication, no doubt ‘Whatsapp’ is such a big hit among them. And cost wise too, it has become quite affordable.
Prashanth Sambargi was once a SIM card seller during college days but is now part of a big networking company like Reliance.
Recollecting the advent of mobile telephony and its applications, he says, “Mobile revolution started in India in 1995 while mobiles started appearing in the market in 1997. But there was no SMS facility as Ericson and Motorola did not support the system. The SMS feature came to light only in 1998 though the network was not ready. Finally, it was at the end of this year, a beginning was made. We were overjoyed by just starting with ‘Hello’ and ‘Hi’ and the functioning evolved over a period. Then SMS became cheaper from `2 to 0.30 paisa only.”
“My day starts with SMS. I have been staying away from my parents for six years now and the first thing I do is to send my mom morning wishes,” says Paranamika Talukdar, 25-year-old MNC employee.
SMS has come as a blessing for many trying to make a living on their own. Says Kuhuwa Das, another employee who is a resident of Domlur, “Every month end, I run out of cash and that’s the time SMS comes as a saviour.
While Raj Gogoi disagrees and says, “I do not consider it as a blessing, in fact, I would say it is a bane in disguise. Every now and then, some random SMS keeps coming from life insurance companies to five star hotels. Imagine, you are in a meeting room and you are waiting for a emergency call or an SMS. Your mobile vibrates and you eagerly look up for the SMS you have been waiting, but it turns out to be an offer from a private company.”
Saurabh Sinha, 24, an MNC employee opines, “I can’t even think of a day without SMS. Imagine spending an entire day without sharing jokes or pulling your friends leg.”