THE DAILY OBSERVER-52

 😎THE DAILY OBSERVER-52😎

Tue 22 Sep 2020

        THE GROUP ICON

            Sunday 20 Sep probably saw the maximum number of members marking their attendance on this site, with even Stuart Lawrence putting in an appearance. Saturday's sad event certainly seems to have shaken us all up like nothing else. The site witnessed an outpouring of feelings like never before with many of the usually silent or brief types writing paragraphs-full to express their feelings in great detail. The group s certainly evolving over time, and how !

         As Vidur pointed out early on Sun, life is like that - the rough and thè smooth follow each other, nothing is permanent. Messages of condolences for SK Sharma alternated with birthday greeting posts for Sirohi. Umesh Oberoi changed the group's icon and ordered an embargo on the usual lighthearted flippant posts. This "order "  was followed by all. Suresh Katoch came up with a touching eulogy to his college-mate and close friend, SK. And yes, SK was fondly known as "Tedha" and not " Bhoond" , the latter term was used for Katoch.

TDO stands corrected.

          Now coming to the matter at hand. First, it was Andrews whose finger changed the name of the group to " Ian Kerr ". Some confusion prevailed before things were set right by Alfie and further corrected by someone else.Not one to be left behind, Umesh changed the group's icon to suit the latest event. Last night Alfie changed the group's icon to the photo of an American General. Vijay Chougle suggested a change. Meanwhile, i suggested Gen Nathu Singh's photo and Alfie implemented the change with great difficulty ( the time then being well past 8 PM and Alfred being that much ahead on  his liquid intake ) .

         And this morning, it is noticed that the group icon is now changed to a bird's-eye-view of OTA by Vijay. Vijay's daughter is the one who has clicked this masterpiece from the air.  Bro Gurvi got so excited on spotting this early in the morning that he accidentally left the group.

See what an icon can do ? When one is unable to make out what it is, one tries to zoom the image for a better view. And when one tries such tricks, there us always the danger of finger-mischief !

      Make no mistake - a group  icon is a very important symbol - most of us take a look at it first thing in the morning and last thing at night. So it has to be something which evokes pleasant thoughts, not one which evokes nightmares or negative vibes.

        The present icon, at first sight apoears hazy and one is tempted to take a closer look by zooming. .And here is where danger lurks, as discovered by Gurvi. One gets drawn into the photo, spotting the White House,having all kinds of memories rushing in. Before one knows it - the finger has done the trick and one finds oneself out of the group by " galti se mishtek."

Sure,Uncle Alfie is always there 24 x 7 x 365 to add you back, but is such a state of affairs desirable?

i mean GCs accidentally leaving the group on a regular basis.Also, with so many Gp Admins, is it advisable to frequently fiddle with the group icon and description?

            As for myself, my eyesight is no longer what it once used to be. Seeing something new where the icon used to be, i zoomed in and what a sight it was ! Reviving all kinds of memories,not just of 1981-'82 but 1995- 2014 too.During the latter period, i resided and worked at Chennai Airport. Each time i flew in and out ( which was very frequent ) i used to make sure i got a window seat just to be able to see this view during take-off/ landing. I would try and make out the various landmarks - White House, swimming pool, Kot, Drill Square, OT Area, magazine, P Hill,St Thomas Mount, Adyar river and so forth. And all kinds of memories keep streaming in.

     So as long as the errant naughty finger is kept in check, tbis panaromic view of OTA is fine by me. Would very much like to know how others feel about it.