During our recent vist to India, many things were very pleasing, but an equal number were displeasing.
One possibly irrational view was that I could never lay hands on a Telephone Directory in any Indian city!
Everyone told me I should ring "Just Dial" which has many access numbers, all particular for the city you are in.
I did just that. After the first call, when I dialed in the second time, I was addressed by my name, even before I said "Hello".
Just Dial was quite efficient in tracking information and sending it to me, either as a text message or to my internet email address. However, the appropriateness of such a response was far from satisfactory.
I asked for a colour photocopy service near to Tardeo In Mumbai. I was referred to one near Thane which also "serviced" the Tardeo region.
Aditionally, many of the requests got blank replies - no trace. Further, Just Dial is an Yellow Page Service and not able to locate private phone ummbers.
For that I was directed to 118, (I think).
This phone number was unable to locate even one of my enquiries, and being a Government service, the replies were rude and lethargic, and more than once, I was simply just cut off.
I still think the traditional Telephone Directory is something that cannot be replaced. I may want several pieces of interlinked information, as each subsequent request may be triggered by what I read in an entry. Just Dial would never be able to give me such a response except by multiple calls.
It is never a cut and dried piece of information that I would be looking for.
In short, dialing Just Dial, is a waste of my time and theirs, however nice, courteous and polite the operators may be. (And they were!)
Why am I irrational?
It is unnecessary to waste so much paper in printing Diectories as maybe 90% of every Directory is not required by any user.
However, even in the home of technology, Oulu, I get about 3 different Directories every year, and they are all used for a variety of purposes.
Every Directory has a Cty Map with index. I am able to locate places just before leaving from my home or office and not have to use my GPS system all the time.
Every Directory contains the Post Codes of locations. I am able to get information when writing a letter.
Every Directory has Emergency Numbers as well as numbers for priority services. This is vital when one needs to tackle the bureucracy.
Every Directory contains the names of all the lawyers and advocates, and similar services. The choice of a particular lawyer or service can be made based on one's personal preferences.
Maybe an interactive Reader on every phone with direct access to online directories would make sense. But these easily accessible directories must be complete and definitely better than the present day online Directories on the internet, which are slow and incomplete in many ways.
They do not work as per the demands of the customer. They work as envisaged by a few software designers!
There are many tens of reasons why I would like to carry a Directory, both in my briefcase as well as my car, and have one on my telephone table at home and at work.
Although I have been using the internet for over two decades and am familiar with all the services, and although I come from where the mobile phone revolution was born and do have access to many service numbers, as Just Dial, I still say, in my own irrational way: Do not discard the traditional Telephone Directory, Hard Copy.
