The way communication has changedin our life time is dramatic andrevolutionary. We do not notice smallincremental changes. Yet over thetime span …. What happened? Thenwe put our pen on the paper. Nowfingers on the computer keyboard. Itreally made me think.

My father left his small home townway back in 1954 to join the Air Force.The new job presented an exciting lifestyle. Going away to the air force basemeant that he went away to Mars.Such was the distance due to limitedcommunication. He kept his familyupdated with an inland letter to hisparents with details on his newadventures in the Air Force TrainingCollege. He used every squarecentimeter of the inland letter,including the side flap meant forfolding the inland letter into halfbefore being stuck with gum to sealit. He reduced the size of his script sothat he could squeeze in as muchinformation as possible. His parentson their part read and re-read everyprecious inland letter they receivedand regaled all visiting friends andrelatives with anecdotes and"adventures" of their Officer son. Theprecious effort of his writings wasappreciated again and again throughrepeated reading.

Fast forward thirty years. It was myturn to leave home to do my MBA . A36 hour train journey to make thejourney from Chennai ( then known

as Madras) to Ranchi where thepicturesque campus of the BirlaInstitute of Technology was locatedbetween two rivers . Being the first toleave the family home for higherstudies, I was allowed to go away tostay in a hostel on the condition that Iwould stay in regular touch with thefamily and keep them informed of allupdates ...studies, exams , examresults, vacation dates , travel plans ,financial requirements , expenditure ,friends that I made, what myprofessors thought of me and anyother matter that was worth reportinghome. So communication was priorityone.

Often I thought is this particular"news" important? My sisters solvedthe dilemma. I had to follow achecklist. What are the latest fashiontrends at the girls hostel? Myroommates latest romantic interest?

Every Sunday afternoon was spentwriting home on long precious notebook sheets. My " reports" to thefamily. The reporting demands of thefamily seemed to match my time onmy management case study reportsoutlining my strategy for pulling acompany going into bankruptcy intoa profit making concern.

In appreciation of all my "reports" mysister reciprocated the effort andwrote back her own version of a reportgiving me details of all the peoplewho visited our home, how herphysics teacher was putting her tosleep, and how our youngest sisterwas trailing her all around the place

and in school and embarrassing herin front of all her friends.

I saved all the birthday, Diwali andNew Year cards, post cards inlandletters and occasional envelopeswhen all members of the family putin their individual letters and mailedthem in a common envelope. All themail from parents and sisters wentinto a shoe box and I read all of themin one go every time I felt homesick.Occasionally, when I was very, veryhome sick , I would book a trunk calland wait for hours by the singlecollege telephone booth only to betold after a few hours that the lineswere down and the call could not beconnected. The few times, I didmanage to get the call connected, Ispent two minutes of the threeminutes allotted for a trunk call saying.... hello, hello.... mummy can you hearme . Well, something was better thannothing.

Fast forward another twenty years. .The millennium had changed .Children were now treated asindividuals and not just as extensionsof their parents. Children neededfreedom (from their family ), privacy (from their family ) and a whole lot ofaccess to information on all modes ofcommunication.... TV, Radio, Internet, Phone and satellites to makeinformed decisions about their future. Socializing was more in the virtualworld via Orkut, Facebook, email ,Phone calls and Text messages.

I sometimes got the feeling that mydaughter and her friends texted eachother across the table when they allmet at Foodex to catch up with eachother. When I asked my daughter whoher new friends were..she said .." oh!they are on my Facebook page , why

don't you look at them there ". So I gota Facebook account . When I asked herfor her friends phone no to invite herhome for lunch, I was asked to get itfrom the contacts list on her phone.So I learnt how to use a smart phoneand all its applications in the process.

I could get my daughter to join us atthe meal times by texting her withinthe house. My calling out to her couldnot be heard above the "noise" of thehard metal band playing on her musicsystem.

It was soon my daughters turn toleave home for College. I followed thesame check list I received from myhome. She should talk to us from herdorm, upon reaching her college.Prompt health updates, list of thingsto be sent,

I waited three hours after the time shewas supposed to reach her collegeand called to check if she hadreached .... Oh I was justgoing to call you wasthe reply I got . Iasked about examor vacation dates ....Mom can you pleasecheck the college website ..itsall there . I asked if she neededanything to be sent for her ... don'tworry mom...I ordered all that I needonline. I got no response to my phonecall to her ....I got text message sayingshe was busy in a project and wouldcall me later. I asked how she had doneher exams .... I got an email with a linkto the online results... I told her it wasa long time since she had written tous ... she said ...but I already told youeverything when we were on Skypelast week. When I asked her why shedid not answer my phone call... shesaid ...all my phone calls are forwardedto my google voice number. ...as I wasnot at my computer .

Suddenly it struck me that thisoverload of easy communication wasstill missing something. The timeeffort and loving affection that myfather put in his inland letters or my

Sunday reports from collage wereprecious and timeless. The letter tooka week to reach us and was receivedlike a gift from god. The letter was readand re-read eagerly. Communicationwas more in the real world and valueddeeply. Now in the virtual worldeverything reaches the destination atthe speed of light yet somethingessential is not reaching home at all.

My parents kept up with thechanging times up to be intouch with their onlygrandchild. They toomastered Facebook ,Skype andGoogle plusaccounts .

Yet thehumble inlandletter deliveredgreater impact. Myparents could recognizethe need to change. Similarlytoday's connected generationmust learn from the past and seewhat they have missed andunderstand the precious nature ofconveying love and affection. Theirgrandparents are the best teachers. Itis time to step away from the virtualworld. Come and learn more aboutthe real world.

Sandhya Godey

The synthetic Tennis Court is being done.

Club regrets any difficulty for the players.

Sports

Faciltiy: There is a new steam / sauna facility provided in theswimming pool area. This was opened by the Vice PresidentShri Muppidi Prabhakar.

Exercise: Two new exercise have been installed in theLadies Gym and the same were opened by the HonoraryTreasurer Shri Mr. G.S. Raju.

Bar: The prices of alcoholicbeverages will be increasedwith effect from 1st Oct'2012.

This price revision has becomeinevitable because of the priceincreases by our supplier A.P.Beverages Corporation Ltd.,

Green Energy: Solar street lights have beeninstalled on an experimental basis in someareas of the club.

CLUB FOOD STALLS - MENU

Tibe's Franki : Chicken Tikka Frankie, Mutton Frankie,Tawa Chicken Frankie , Veg Frankie, Panner Frankie

Candy Court : Regular Brownies, Chocolate Cups,Desserts, Truffle Brownie, Nutty Brownie, Chocolates,Brownie Volcano , Molten Brownie, Chocolate bunches

Burgerman : Single Beemer Burger, Double BeemerBurger, Hot Dog, Streeker, Single Beemer Burger,Double Beemer Burger, French Fries, Milk Shakes &Juices

ACE Grillers : Chicken with Cheese, Egg Cheese,Mushroom Chicken, Chilly Cheese, Grilled Sandwiches,Veg Cheese grilled, Veg Grilled, Baby Corn Cheese,Mushroom Cheese, Tomato Cheese

Cool Point : All Varieties of Ice creams & Chocolates

Subhadhara Dairy : All Varieties of Milk Products

Stuff Counter : Mutton Keema Samosa, ChickenKeema Samosa, Chicken Pakoda or Bullets, PrawnPakoda, Fish Pakoda, Onion Samosa, Mix Veg Pakoda,Mushroom Pakoda, Baby Corn Pakoda, Panner Balls orLallypop

Coffee Shoppe : Coffee Day Coffee/Tea

Shells Restaurant

Buffet Breakfast

7.30 AM to 10.00 AM

Lunch 12.30 PM to 3.00 PM

Dinner Al-a-Carte

7.30 PM to 10.30 PM