Thumbs Up!

Of late, the thumb has become intensely busy and hyperactive...

The 'old man' out in your palm has always been a vital part having primary as well as coarse uses. The primary or basic uses include holding, clutching, eating, pinching, squeezing and punching. We can classify certain 'elitist' uses also as primary ones like typing and giving thumb impressions. In typing the thumb is used to give space-so important in a country like India where you have to thumb-push people for space. Thumb impression is the ultimate seal of authority. The stamp of your astounding illiteracy. In India you still find in most of application forms the option of 'signature or thumb impression'. This great finger of yours does not mind the colossal amount of fingering you do, it never lets you down.

There are certain coarse uses too. Again in India. The 'old man' is so much used to crush dry tobacco leafs into powder at the base of your palm here that it no longer minds the pungent taste of tobacco or the pristine taste of the hapless souls addicted to the powder. The addict takes out the tobacco and usually places it at the base of his left hand and then puts the right thumb over it closing the palm into a fist. Then the thumb takes over bulldozing it into a fine black powder. The thumb also helps the addict to take the powder in a pinch and put it in between lower teeth and lower jaw. This habit of taking tobacco powder or 'khaini' pervades both lower and elite classes and this makes instant friends anywhere anytime. Some poor fellows though keep on sneezing! But this is part of life.

With the coming of advanced television sets the thumb has expanded its secondary uses. The thumb has become your program selection guide. Can you even hold the remotes without the expert help of our old friend?

Enter the computers and the laptops. The thumb attains a new level of sophistication. This space-giver now is not restricted only to the clerks who have dominated the typing machines. It has taken into its fold now the executives, CEOs, writers and journalists.

And then the ring...ring...ring. The incredible expanse of the cell phone-the mobiles. They have captured the world country by country and are now set to outnumber the number of mortal human beings inhabiting this planet earth very soon. This resounding surge has brought along with it the all-time elevation for our 'old man'. Its age seems finally to have paid off. Its secondary uses have become the primary ones.

It now controls you-in all possible ways. You cannot work, express, talk, travel, sleep, sit, walk, eat, see movies or even breathe without it.

Thumbs up!