Sunday, June 15, 2008

The Power of Four



The photo above may not be all that clear; at least not in distinctly revealing 4 of my most priced items - A jean shorts, specs, a cell phone and floaters. But such has been the presence and utility of these that they warrant this, in the least.



Year of Purchase: 1997
Brand: Huh! Bought it from a roadside shop.
Price: Rs. 250/-
Victim Of: Treks (read slides down mountain slopes), football, and a friend who is, to put it euphemistically, fat! (And, I am being considerate here!)

Oh! This piece of clothing has been serving like nothing else can. Helped by the fact that I have literally not put on any thing around my waistline (and also that the shorts has a fantastic elastic!) there has been a mending required not once. Until recently, that is when my maid servant (who, being with us much before the shorts was bought is pretty much family now) had enough. So, the classic jean slit that you see is no more! It has been stitched to extinction (The slit only; the shorts is still pretty much in use!)! Sob sob...


Year of Purchase: 2001
Brand: Huh! Bought it from a roadside shop.
Price: Rs. 650/-
Victim Of: Volleyball smashes, football shots, many a throw here and there (Yes! I show it off!), another hefty friend who rolled over it in his sleep and of course the eventful fall from a bike (just the specs). It simply dismantled itself on the highway! (My heart skipped a beat as trucks whooshed by, and after some 7.3 minutes of searching and waiting for vehicles to pass by on the highway, I put it together - intact!)

I could drop it right now - from the fourth floor you say! Well, be my guest. If there were an award for being the most tortured soul(?) it would win it every year. Its scratched glasses give away nothing of what it has withstood. I rate a volleyball smash (I was on the net) from a really strong opponent as the worst. It was a head on hit on the specs! Of course it fell down leaving a little scar on my nose - but that was it! It disfigured beyond immediate use. I later spent some 3 minutes to set it right with my own hands. Well, that I think is the best part - the specs has never seen the maker for any repair/ adjustment! Long live specy...



Year of Purchase: 2005
Brand: Nokia (Model: 1600)
Price: Rs. 2600/- (approx.)
Victim Of: Countless falls, sunk into a sink full of shaving-cream mixed water, thrown down from a first floor balcony and from a moving auto-rickshaw.

So, after much persuasion by my parents I gave in to buying a cell phone at last! I stuck to buying the most basic and am thankful to date with this decision (even more fortunate that lesser models weren't available!) With an enviable battery (which hasn't been changed even once) life, and being treated almost like you would treat the stress reliever balls after your appraisal, this one has endeared itself to me like no other! It has got three features which not many models boast of. The loudspeaker (excellent), a talking clock (on the press of '*' for 2 seconds) and of course unbreakability* (*Be reasonable - refer 'Victim of:') I am not sure how I would react if this device were to, you know, one day conk off! It is a device after all. I am not sure, if I would buy a cell phone ever again!



Year of Purchase: 2005
Brand: Gliders (Huh! Never heard of them anyway!)
Price: Rs. 350/-
Victim Of: Treks - quite a few; including a night trek, innumerable tours, football and cricket

Oh, this might seem to be the least, but only in terms of probable life remaining! It has had the toughest time, what with being under my feet all the time, quite literally. Such is its loyalty that it once went along a really strong stream of water in Bushy dam in Lonavla, only to be retrieved a good 250 meters down the flow by a group of guys and returned back! It was bought only because its poorer cousin (a wholly black slipper pair from Sri Lanka, they say) wasn't allowed on my company campus! Anyway, of the four - it has received the maximum treatment. It is stitched in some 5-6 places. It is the only one to have been mended abroad. Yes, I chose to have it stitched for $3 in Singapore as against buying a new pair for $5! Such is my love for it. It is now old and has a grip as much as you hand on an overly oiled hair strand would have! It has served its purpose for much longer than I expected. Ideally, it deserves to RIP, but I couldn't part with it. Not yet!

And people tell me that I should buy branded stuff! Guys, it is not just emotional - but it is about what matters most to a customer - value for money!

PS: There was a jean which was given to me by a family friend. I wore it for more than 6-7 years, he had worn it before that for a good 5-6 years and what more; he had started using it only after some 8 years since having bought! It is no longer in service, courtesy mom!

5 comments:

Ram said...

Those gliders!!..
Remember the times I used to plead that we swap our flotters on the way out from your home..and you would grudgingly agree.. (of course I would have already worn them by then so you werent left with much of a choice).. Hiohahaha
Those gliders rock!!!

Ram said...

And btw is that pair your light blue jeans shorts?? I remember those..You probably dint wear them only to college

Shirish Shetty said...

impressive but but but .... the real test would be to put the m,aster of the "FOUR" thru the same torture ... u insenstive tambram ... n u call me hinsakaari .... who will atone for all the crimes that you have commited on these mute beings ???? :@ ..... shame shame

Abinav Kumar said...

:)Yes Ram wohi gliders and shorts..! jo tu aur uttam pehna karte the..!!

@SS - i have stayed with you for a year... isn't that torture enough! grrr... [:P]

K said...

zakass