There are so many sounds we universally associate with objects, actions, people, emotions, animals and places.
From Kindergarten level basics like woof woof(dog), meow(cat) or the melodious hee-haw(donkey), to expression of emotions like disgust -Yuck, Aargh, to sounds of drinking or eating -Glug glug, Slurrp, to engine sounds of a car like vroom, rrrrrr…we have created and used them all.
It could also be poetic sounds like Ding Dong goes the bell or Tick Tock goes the clock. This was and is still considered standard.
What’s new, you ask???
Here comes the twist.
TikTok (yes, the spelling has been changed and shortened to bring in some novelty), thanks to some virus spreading, ant eating Nation, did not remain just a sound any more.
The standards and values had plummeted.
TikTok turned into an urge, a desire and passion of each and every got-nothing-to-do, time passer on Earth!!!
It marked its grand entry as a short video making App, got stuck here and how!!!
One could create videos, also chop and stick them back again!!!
And one didn’t even need Chopsticks to do so…Thankfully!!!
It was so contagious and infectious, that it would have given the ongoing virus a run for its vaccine and money!!!
The cure for this was definitely not ginger, hot water and honey!!!
Every Tom, Dick, and Harry…Potter or otherwise, was into doing TikTok videos and posting them by the second. Add in the lockdown and quarantine period, people had so much more time to spare, that TikTok was the new clock sound of every 2 legged species!!! Or even 4 legged sometimes!!! The pets also featured in many videos and went viral.
All possible sounds, songs, dialogues- funny and serious, in all possible languages were available. All one had to do was use any preferred audio clips and create your own videos by dubbing those sounds.
And post them!!!
There would be millions of similar videos created by trillions of people and watched and liked by zillions of people on Social Media.
If you didn’t create or share one, you are then declared a Villain!!!
It meant that your clock didn’t Tik. Maybe one had to then Tok to it and make it Tik!!!
There simply had to be a TikTok in everyone’s lives!!!
Wheels of fortune then took a big turn. Covid wheeled in.
After being royally battered and shattered by the CoVid, many countries, including ours, put a blanket ban on all products created and marketed by any Chai, nieces or nephews, living or dead!!!
Out went TikTok…Poof…whoosh !!!
Beginning of Co-Vid was the end of TikTok-Vid.
We being the patriots that we are, sincerely deleted all the Apps in show of solidarity towards our Nation. And rightly so. This was not the problem. What was, was the question staring at us- what would one do now to pass and while away so much of spare, quarantine time???
Absence of TikTok in our lives meant the clock had stopped, nothing was moving, neither the time nor our social distancing lives!!!
We had deleted the spice from our lives.
Our heads had started spinning and wondering what was to become of our poor, bland lives.
Then came in Reeling into our lives something that made us alive and kicking again.
The replacement of TikTok called Reels was an Instant hit!!!
People started filming and posting everything and anything- dancing on the streets, throwing a basketball, flipping bottles, making cheesy, funny faces, even making infants cry and laugh…you name them you find that there is a Reel.
Everyone heaved a sigh of reel-ief and and are now gleefully engaged in making, creating and uploading Reels, this time around, not by the second, but by the millisecond.
After all there is something called vengeance and we need to live up to it!!!
Once again…All is well with the world!!!
There is, of course, sadly, as yet, no sound associated to Reels, but I can assure you that it entered at the right time with a boom and a bang, and made us go sha- lalalala in the morning, afternoon and evening!!!
I don’t deny the fact that these might be good and effective means for passing and moving your time.
But I would, on any given day, put my money on old school, traditional ways of productively utilising one’s time.
Be it talking or chatting with your friends, lending a helping hand or even an ear, playing board games, trying out new cuisines, reading a book, watching a movie together with family, friends and popcorn, cleaning and dusting away your wardrobe, gardening, listening to stories from your grandparents sitting on a swing or learning a new language or skill.
Can I hear you say that you have done all of the above and more???
Then I humbly lay my keyboard to rest and let you guys go wild…Reeling…Up Up and away!!!
Go, Reel the world…I mean rule the world!!!
Until next time…
