Grey Chip Gang

“I started using the Internet four years ago. Manuals helped me learn. Initially, I would lose my way on the keyboard but I’ve managed just fine without going to an institute,” says Bhatnagar, who logs on to the Net thrice a day for about an hour each to mail his friends and relatives in the US, UK and other parts of the world and to surf his favourite websites. His skills are not limited to the use of e-mail or messenger services. Bhatnagar went ahead and installed Skype, a software through which one can make free international calls, on his own. “But I deactivated it as it was creating a sort of virus on computers that received my mail.”

As these senior citizens dump their gardening tools and take to the mouse, what prompts them is the urge to connect — and that’s as old as the human race. “The days of writing letters are gone but the need to communicate hasn’t. The computer is an important part of my life because it helps me keep in touch with my family,” says Bhatnagar, whose son lives in the UK.

Others like Lt. Col (retd) P.K. Mehta, 70, refuse to retire to shells of nostalgia when they can negotiate with a world changing at such a frenetic pace. “I’m very curious by nature. When these technological advancements started, I did not want to be left behind. My children have been a great help. They are the ones who’ve taught me,” says Mehta, who knows how to use his son’s Dell Inspiron 6400 notebook but is more comfortable at his desktop.

Daughter Archana introduced Mehta to the World Wide Web five years ago and continues to feed his curiosity — she sent him the LCD Ultimate Sudoku, a touch-screen electronic version of the game, from Singapore.

“I love Sudoku. Earlier, I had to go to the Net to download the number crossword and keep myself busy. But this LCD device has made things easier. I can even create my own puzzles,” says Mehta, who also downloads music from the Net for his grandson Ayaan.

When it comes to staying glued to the monitor, Mehta can beat any teenaged gaming addict. “My wife does get annoyed with me but I make up by searching for recipes on the Net,” he jokes.

Like most tech freaks, Mehta is on the lookout for change. “I have a VS3 Panasonic camera phone, which I’m thinking of changing soon. Although the camera isn’t of much use, I click pictures with it and link them with my contacts’ list. Every time I get a call, the caller’s picture flashes on my phone,” he tells you gleefully.

But even as they open up to a whole new world, these senior citizens are reluctant to be lured by the culture of excess that technology has spawned. R.N. Tandon, 76, for example, is content with keeping in touch with his daughter (in Canada) and son (in Bombay) through e-mail. “New gadgets interest me but there isn’t much use that I find for them in my life.” Does he know what an iPod is? “Of course I do,” he retorts. “But I don’t feel the need to buy one. There are music systems at home and in the car, which is where I enjoy my music”.

But a certain wariness with technology persists. Bhatnagar is uncomfortable with texting —“I can’t type very fast” — though Tandon does forward jokes to his friends. “SMS is not bad but it has its shortcomings. Nude pictures and MMS are just not acceptable. And look at the way terror groups use technology for their devious ends,” says Bhatnagar.

But who do these tech-savvy veterans turn to for troubleshooting? “My daughter and son help me whenever I need a clarification,” says Mehta. Tandon agrees. When we ask Bhatnagar, his grandson Ankit chimes in, “Actually, he is better than me”. The tech wall between two generations just came crashing down.