I renounced my cell phone on July 20, 2015; a date I remember vividly for its huge personal significance. I arrived at this decision after much deliberation, and not impulsively. Of course I knew it could cause inconvenience, especially being then the principal of a college.

But the morning after I became mobile-free, I felt liberated and relieved. We’re conditioned to exaggerate the benefits of technology. Often, its harm outweighs its benefit. Cell phone was a source of distraction for me. Most calls I received were redundant: a waste of time and energy.

I took this decision after a particular incident. In March of that year, a sexual harassment case was reported from the college. I had several meetings with the complainant. The conversations were recorded on the cell phone to say that I was shielding the offender. It broke the sanctity of the relationship between a principal and a student. The cell phone became an instrument of atrocity. The device was used to invade the sacred space of interpersonal relationships. Cell phones are more abused than used.

I thought over this episode, especially from the perspective of an educator. It was clear to me that the message merited wider attention. But I had no means to speak out. All I could do was share my decision with my students without revealing the context.

Nearly a hundred of them volunteered to give up cell phones. I don’t think any of them could sustain their decision for long. The greatest asset of students is their concentration. Cell phone distracts. Giving it up can only improve them as learners.

I was a reluctant user of the cell phone anyway. In the early days, it struck me as a symbol of vanity. Rare as this instrument was then, those who owned mobiles would use them loudly and conspicuously in public to draw attention to themselves. I relented, in 2004, after I was appointed to the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions. I had to travel across the country and the office had to be in touch with me.

A student of culture, I am sceptical about any form of dependency. Dependency compromises our freedom and dignity. I’m reluctant to be dependent on anyone, a device, or an item of possession, including the cell phone. But I had to use it in spells, when controversies during my tenure as principal obligated me to explain facts.

But, three minutes into a conversation on the cell phone, I’d develop a headache. Using this device exposes us to radiation hazards and I don’t know why we are tight-lipped about it. Do I miss the cell phone now? Not at all. I only regret not giving it up earlier. Is cell phone altogether useless? I would say it helps in coordinating travel. But then, I had for long been travelling, domestically and internationally, quite comfortably before cell phones arrived. The illusion of ‘indispensability’ is foisted on us by our technology-driven culture.

The cell phone is often touted as the great breakthrough in communication. What’s communication? To communicate is to hold together. But cell phone keeps people apart. We text, rather than talk. Neighbours prefer texting to walking down the road to share a conversation. This has aggravated impersonality. Criminality flourishes in impersonality. You sure are aware that a thief attacks a stranger; never a neighbour, brother or sister. Strangely, this communication device keeps us strangers and apart.

I’m active on Facebook as it’s the only space I have. But I don’t use it as most others do. To me it is a medium for serious reflection and sharing.

Being without the cell phone has improved my productivity. My concentration has improved. Some of my friends are keen to gift me cell phones. I decline humbly as I wish to avoid a relapse.

I retired in March 2016. Does being without a cell phone make it difficult for people to get in touch? My memories go back to 1973, when I taught in Kirori Mal College for two months. When I moved to St Stephen’s, students from there continued to visit and learn from me. If it’s worth meeting me, people will take the trouble of coming, which is a lot better. It is better to be a person others take trouble to meet, than be one with the smartest phone there is!

Valson Thampu is a former principal of St Stephen’s College Delhi and lives in Thiruvananthapuram

(As told to P Anima)

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