Digital Trail

The other day I had an experience which began all and sundry. I am a member of a professional network on internet and like all other networks, this gives continuous recommendations of adding someone else to your network.

They pop out of nowhere every time I Iog in.  Mugshots of people whom I know or once knew and also of some I have never seen come on the screen much like the Wanted column of newspapers ! Honestly it is a little irritating but at times but it does lead to getting connected to someone whom we really need.

I had logged on to this portal and these so-called recommendations for joining the network started popping out. Suddenly one such recommendation made me freeze. A face, familiar came out with the name and last held position etc. All this was fine. The only thing out of place was that this particular ex-colleague of mine had passed away some months back (God rest his soul in peace !).

It was such an eerie moment or two when I looked at the screen and wondered. What happens to us with all our digital trail when we move to the next world ? How does this digital trail get cleaned up ?

And do these departed souls get networked to each other in the next world ?

Definitely, maybe…………

Icons

What is common between Dettol , Cadbury, Lux, Surf, Colgate, Burnol ? Well a concoction of all these will be pretty funny to say the least.

These are all brands with which I grew up in seventies and eighties and these brands are still as relevant as they were. In fact they have assumed a generic state. In villages and small towns Colgate is the synonym of toothpaste and the actual toothpaste being used may be of some other make but it is still referred to as Colgate. Same goes for Lux and Surf when it comes to cleaning self or cleaning clothes.

Dettol is the first first-aid that we all come to terms with. And for a small burn, I never knew in those days any other substitute of Burnol.

And when it comes to chocolate, in my childhood did not know of any other chocolate which was not a Cadbury. A Cadbury was for small joys, for small celebrations like scoring good marks in exams, for birthdays et al. I recall one Geography teacher made us memorize the capitals of various countries and in the impromptu test at class the best three crackers got a Cadbury each. I was also one of the recipients once and I still remember the capitals of the countries fairly well even today.

In those days the Cadbury came more or less in one packaging- the standard violet one with Dairy Milk Chocolate written on it. A few years down the line came the other variants in other colours and tastes.

Today we know that Cadbury has been sold off and the company renamed to Mondelez. Currently the brand names will remain is what we are told.

However some years down the line will the small town grocer be asked by a child for a Cadbury or a Mondelez chocolate ? Only time will tell.….! But they have been icons in their own right !