Computers and Ammas

Disclaimer : This article has nothing to do with election campaigns. I'm not even a distant relative of any party member. I live in Besant Nagar which is far away from Poes Garden. And I drink only Red Label tea, which is not related to Sunrise coffee. (Mandatory pj)

As the other author Country would have put it : "Arasiyal oru saakada da", literally translating to "Politics is a sewer".  So, I'll happily keep myself away from it.

Amma = Mother (in Tamil) and not a canteen or mess.
Ammas = Mothers (in Tanglish)


I do not know about the rest of you, but personal observation of my subject has led me to believe that technology and fairly old aged people do not get along at all. Here is one of the many incidents which has forced me to reach the conclusion.

Me : Amma, type the password in my laptop.
Amma : What is it?
Me : 6*9=42
Amma : Ok. 'S' 'I' 'X'.. (Strictly forefingers. Keyboards are allergic to other fingers)
Me : No no. All numerals and symbols
Amma : Fine. '6' 'x' ..
Me : Uh.. no. There is a multiplication symbol in the keyboard. (hoping she'd learn)
Amma : (clearly irritated) Come, type your password yourself. Hmmmphhh..
Me: : Try!
Amma : (back to the keyboard) Hmm.. here is the star multiplication symbol. I need to hold the shift key right? (Presses the left shift key with her right forefinger and the number eight with her left forefinger. Awkward position really.. Close enough to a Gangnam Style)

Yup. Psy and Eric Shmidt (Executive Chairman of Google). Look at Eric's hands.. Amma probably taught him that! Look at Psy's hands too !! Forefinger is clearly seen.

So, she typed very well till 6*9 and then started the trouble.

Amma : Thambi.. There is no equal to sign in your keyboard!
Me : Yes. I took it out so that no one would type my password. Let's see you search for it.
Amma : Ok

Quite some time later, my computer is still not logged in. She still hasn't typed the password but she is very busy searching for something in the keyboard.

Amma : Poda.. the 'equal to' sign is missing. The closest to it is a semi-colon, but that isn't working

And so, when we reached this situation, I simply showed her where the equal to sign was in the keyboard.

Amma : Oooooh...! Nice. Stupid people. Kept the = sign there!  (And she types the = symbol.) .. But it isn't logging in.
Me : Eh.. why? What did you type.
Amma : 6*9=54

I couldn't have done anything there. She was right. Sob. <Insert hitchhiker's funda> Sob more.

Me : No. For security reasons it is 42. Please type 6*9=42.
Amma : Haha.. idiot. (Starts typing again)
...
....
.....
Amma : Thambi... the 'equal to' sign is missing again. I think you will have to install google for this soon, to search for characters.. Haha.

And she leaves the place after that really intelligent joke.