I have heard people saying that everything has its days of glory, but one must be ready to fade into eternity sooner or later.
We had planned to change our bathroom fittings, as some had been malfunctioning after serving us faithfully ever since our home was built years ago. Then we changed the floor tiles, as they had looked too old-fashioned. Slowly, all old things were replaced with new ones, though most were working well with a nudge now and then.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Off came the ceiling fans that used to growl a little while rotating at high speed. Another device that bade goodbye was my old television which had worked well but required visits by the mechanic at long intervals. During his last visit he had said the spare parts were not easily available as the manufacturers had stopped making that model. He had suggested its replacement with a new one. The old air-conditioner, which was a permanent window fixture, has been replaced with a new one. My writing table and steel cupboards that had lost paint at places, doors, and other fittings followed.
I was the proud owner of an old camera, bought with the remunerations paid by different newspapers for my articles, but ever since the mobile phones started doing that job much more efficiently, it has joined the attic where my record player, radio and other electronic items lie. Finally, the house was repainted, giving it a new look.
Even the dining table and chairs had done a vanishing act, new ones with modern looks taking their place. Some photographs on the walls have been replaced and others repositioned, except those of my favourite deity and dead parents.
Most of our neighbours have visited to see the changes, applauded them, asked about the cost, and declared that they would follow suit shortly.
It seems the new devices will not need to wait long to be replaced. My son says the latest mobile phone he buys, like other devices, would work well for a few years and start malfunctioning immediately after the warranty period expires.
The trend of replacing the old seems to have become widespread. The old grocery shops are being closed one by one with the appearance of modern shopping malls, some of them owned by famous business houses, that offer most things cheap. Tailoring used to be a flourishing business with a long list of waiting customers. They have closed their shops as people have started preferring readymade garments. Barber shops have become beauty parlours, and cutting hair and shaving the face are only minor parts of the services offered. Men and women go to these parlours to get a new look. Visitors to malls prefer fruits imported from faraway countries, shunning the local varieties. The aged, who used to celebrate their birthdays according to the stars under which they were born, have started cutting cakes in front of large gatherings, smearing one another’s faces with the cream rather than eating them.
Shivers ran through my spine as I caught my son staring at me the other day. Though I didn’t know what he was thinking, with everything old being replaced, I have started locking my doors at night.
