Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Hello??

I remember the time when the term "dialing" actually meant dialing the number on the big black fone and not just pushing digitalized numbers on a sleek handpiece. I remember the time when "hello" was more of a question, an inquisitive, interrogative term of expression coz those were the days when the caller ids didn't exist. Hello???? (which meant who is it, who cared to call me, where are you calling from). All those interrogative adverbs (the true grammatical phrase for questions) all conjured up in just one word, hello.
 
The word hello, is now appropriately used, as a true term of greeting. The fone rings, you see the name, the number, and you say "hello." No questions needed. You know who is calling you, and you even know from where. It also eases your misery of having to put up with those marketing calls that you so want to avoid or even some unwanted friends that you don't want to deal with. Caller ID is a true blessing in disguise. However, it is not so good too in case you want to lie about your whereabouts. For that you have your cellfone though. So life is better.
 
And one thing I had always marked was that there are different tones of hellos you get when you call. There is the sultry lazy hello that sounds like "haloooo" or extra curious "hello..a very curt question" or the twirling of the tongue "halloouuu." Its funny how each one has its own distinct way of saying just one word. And another amazing fact about hello is that inspite of really being an english word, it is universally accepted as a telephone greeting in all languages. You don't really say "namaste" or "Guten Tag" or "Bonjour" on the telefone, do you?
 
Lastly, I remember reading somwhere, that when you leave someone you love, don't ever say goodbye. Goodbyes mean you might not meet again. Instead, end with a hello coz hello gives you hope and optimism that you will meet again. So I too end this blog with a big HELLO. Its weird, isn't it?

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