Monday, January 19, 2009

SMS, My God

I love to receive and I love to send text messages. It is such a magical feeling to know you are in touch with buddies, isn’t it? But I received a couple of text messages recently that put me in a fix. I reproduce their text here.

· 27-4-2009 is Sai Baba Ji’s birthday. Don’t delete this message or you will be unlucky for 12 years. Send this message to 15 people except me. You will get a good news tonight.

· SAI BABA: SABKA MALIK EK. Send this message to 9 people. Please don’t say no. you will get a good news till Thursday. It is a real experience.

· This message has come from Kailash Mountain. Do not delete it. Otherwise you will face bad luck for 20 years. Send this to 20 people and you will receive good news within a week.

· This message was created at the Vaishno Mata Shrine. Do not break the chain otherwise you will have a lifelong bad luck.

I initially thought some god-goddess was sending this message. I, in fact, thought of namscaaring my cell-phone. After all, we in India love to find gods-goddesses in objects inanimate. And nothing bad in asking people to comply with some things like sending text messages. It gives the cell-phone companies some business too. I find nothing wrong in mild threats too. Because, I too, usually send threatening messages to friends when I start to miss their text messages. My favorite is a message that shows a picture of a headless person with a warning at the bottom of the message saying, “Acha bhala tha, message nahi karta tha, tapka dala. You are wise enough. Soch lo !!!” and promptly I start to get that spate of messages from friends far and wide.

I am no God, I think I can afford to threaten like this. But what kind of a God is it that believes in SMS forwarding business? What kind of a God is this that tries to coerce you into smsing? I am confused, perplexed, upset, scared…

I cannot help it. I am scared for the life of my family members and am concerned about the ' bad news' that awaits me if I delete the message or if I do not forward it. Oh please, I have to forward it or something like it.
So, with shaking hands, I duly forward the following message.

Om Namah Shivay
Om Sai Ram
Waheguru
Jai Shri Krishna
Allah hoo Akbar

Dar mat,
Kisi ko forward nahi karna hai….
Khud hi jap ley..... PAAPI !!!!

51 comments:

Unknown said...

I was about to move from my office but felt like visiting your blog,so I am here.I am happy to read your post and the..tapka dala.. wala sms. I had no idea that there was a Bhai threatening people right under the nose of a policeman.

hitch writer said...

the moment i get such an email or sms which says forwward to so many people or else...

I just press delete !!!

Life Begins said...

jup leya ji...
baki u didnt mention how many times i needed to do that. :)

ya i hate such threating emails and sms...and i alwasy delete them right away preparing myself for any mishaps(if any) that might come my way as a result of that deletion.

Jagjit said...

Yeah. Those were the times when I used to receive these kinds of messages. Thank god, not so now. You want to kill the person who sent it to you, but mostly the person is someone dear or near, just that he or she is somewhat nonsense... Yes you're right - paapi!!! (sinner? i hope thats wht u meant...)

Anonymous said...

Just delete them....I have been doing it for years. The only ones who actually seem to have good luck here are the phone companies!

Do not forward this comment and you'll have very good luck!

Cheers,

Quirky Indian

Anonymous said...

ha ha ha gud one ... those were times when i used to get messages like these .. nd never forwarded them... nowdays no messages come. except airtel's promotional ones or some spam messages by marketing guys..
lately found one funny one was like : sent you a cattle (majjh) .. 20 kg goha kardi aa.. os deeaan pathiaan path ke vech lo... te jehre paise bane ohna naal mainu sms bhejo " :)

Gazal said...

these are called spam SMS's.

just delete it without a thought.

Balvinder Balli said...

Thank God Manpreet, you got over your jet lag that Roop left you with and could not blog saa.aa (quoting Roop) for so long.

Yeah these chain messages, if you remember originated many years back with one getting cyclostyled paper copies in one's dak with a picture of a god and a message which promised a reward if you forwarded copies of it otherwise some curse. Only now they are coming in your PCs and mobiles. God has also gone electronic, i suppose.

Rajindarjit said...

Interesting posting it is!
Some 30 years ago people used to send post cards carrying such messages, and now is the age of Cell phones in every pocket.But mentality of that cetegary is the same- to do good for nothing.
So you carry on with your creative work.
Dhindsa

Gurinderjit Singh (Guri@Khalsa.com) said...

ਖੇਡਾਂ ਜਿੱਨੀਂ ਤੇਜ਼ੀ ਨਾਲ ਬਦਲੀਆਂ ਨੇਂ, ਓਨੀ ਤੇਜ਼ੀ ਨਾਲ ਬਾਕੀ objects ਨਹੀਂ ਬਦਲੇ.. ਹੋਰ ਵੇਖਿਓ..
ਘਰ 'ਚ ਗੁਫਤਗੂ ਵੀ SMS ਨਾਲ ਹੀ ਹੋਇਆ ਕਰੇਗੀ,
ਗਾਂ SMS ਮਿਲਣ ਤੇ ਹੀ ਦੁੱਧ ਦੀ ਬਾਲਟੀ ਭਰੇਗੀ..
ਬੱਕਰੀ ਘਾ ਛੱਡ, ਐਸਟਰੋਟਰਫ ਚਰੇਗੀ...
There is a TV program going on on the same topic.. they r talking abt someone..423 messages/day

Iya said...

these smses and similar emails have been doing rounds for years now...
they dont deserve so much attention mampi..

Anonymous said...

i won't leave u a message. cuz i am jealous. 11 already? blah. go away. :D

Mampi said...

M-You are the bestest fan, the most loyal one. And you win. By leaving the first comment on the post, within 5 mins of posting it. Umm, abt bhaigiri... diwey thalley hanera !!!

Hitchwriter-Yes, I have a delete button too.

LifeBegins-naam japaona was the purpose, only you caught the spirit.

Jags-Paapi is what I meant, hehe.

Quirky Indian-forward? Never never never sir...

Jasdeep-the majjh thing was really good.

Gaz-Yes, Ma'am.

Balvinder-It feels great to be missed. I didnt feel upto the mark to blog for many days.
Yeah, i remember the god-picture in an envelope, but they usually used to come from down South or Rajasthan. They have gone cosmopolitan now.

Mama-Yeah, psyche is the same, only medium changed.

Guri-423/day means, agla iney msgs roz karda aa? OH mere toh wi mahaan ae fer ta. I can average about 100 odd msgs, but not spam for sure.

Iya-Kaa karenge, likhna toh tha hi, is pey likh dala.

Roop-Oye, you are not allowed to be jealous at all. And not of me in particular.

Indian Home Maker said...

Is this telepathy ..? I have just read the first few words of your post and it seems we are all talking about religion and God today!!!
Now let me read the post and then comment...

Dr. Ally Critter said...

The same god who sends those mass forward emails too...
I totally delete these emails.

Indian Home Maker said...

Such emails and sms and earlier such mails all are extremely annoying. I never forward I curse the sender [:(] and delete them.

Usha Pisharody said...

Me too.. for a long time I was scared of them.. but now, politely but very firmly I tell the sender, that had better be the last one, or else.. :D!

I have finally plucked up the courage to delete :)

Monika said...

lol!!! i love the last one and these mails and sms are so damn irritating...

D said...

I left a comment here, didn't I? What happened to it :(

Kiran said...

i hate it when i get such emails..what is one to do! now i just delete them...

Anonymous said...

hi, the last message really cracked me up.. I will use it next time i get a fwd abt god etc..

Anonymous said...

hahahahahha.....tapka dala ROCKS!! me uses it from now on too :)))

Mampi said...

IHM-I hope the detail below the heading didnt disappoint you. It was not about God at all, hehe, Yes I press delete always.

Alankrita-Absolutely, gotta find that God.

Usha-You were scared? Actually scared? Well, I never was, always have been deleting this stuff from my inbox.

Monika-It is my favorite sms when a near-dear one sends that fwd msg out of their compulsion.

D-Send that comment again. More than you, I am the one at loss for having lost that comoment. It never arrived.

Kiran-Delete, delete, delete.

Enchanted-Welcome to my blog. I also use the last line very often.

SnS-The 'bhai' words never fail to make me laugh.

Pinku said...

hey!!!

thanks for coming back....

were you out collecting hafta this long??

as for those God SMS I dont even bother to read till the end...just delete. As i am sure you do...

But do remember to ask the real God's for snow.. :)

Anonymous said...

A very topical post... I delete them. I also do not forward to others. I think the tendency to pass on these msgs should be curbed.

i am what i am said...

really such messages are not to be take seriously at all. they quite annoying. wenever i get such a mail or sms a volley of expletives come out of my mouth and i wonder what king of a "godly" msg is this whicg forces me to bad mouth? i'm sure poor god has no role in this whatsoever.

~nm said...

Hahaha..too good.

I just hate such messages that come with a warning. I don't even read through till the end and delete it :D

BTW, your SMS never reached me :P

~nm said...

And LOL at last line of MIS's comment :D

How do we know said...

ha ha ha!! loved that khud hi jap le paapi part!

i press a summary delete to all such msgs and send a msg back to the sender with a strong piece of my mind. Sometimes i even call back and shout big time. Net result, now i dont get too many such msgs or emails. Wait, am i tempting fate here?

Gurinderjit Singh (Guri@Khalsa.com) said...

yes I meant per/day...

BTW, I sent u one SMS, Cud u send it to all the bloggers? Face Consequences..if u fail to do so, otherwise you will be crowned within 3 days.

dipali said...

Delete button zindabaad, Mampi!

Anonymous said...

LOL, just delete it Mampi. I do it all the time, and I still survive. So there!

Mana said...

I get such sms n emails. I delete them immediately without reading. :) Such messages are very annoying.

Anonymous said...

all quiet save-"SMS, My God"!

sukumbho said...

Mujhe bacha lo, sarkar. Maine aapka blog paRha hai. Abbhi message bhejta hoon na, mobile kasam. Police mein report mat karna, Bhai. Bhagwan aapka bhala kare. Om Shanti.

DeeplyDip said...

lol!!! sahi bola...god has become very commercial nowadays and he/she wants you to forward all the messages to a given number of people only ;).
BTW loved the "tapka dala" msg.

Mama - Mia said...

hahahaha!

earlier all this would happen on email! now its spread to cell phone also! quite mad! only people making money will be cell phoen companies!

i never forwrad such mails! just delete them! but i am always amazed at number of people who fall for this!!!

and yes, i luurrvvee smsing! :)

cheers!

abha

man in painting said...

Nice one Mampi...
mip

Mandira said...

oh these are as annoying as the emails that we used to get.. send this to 20 ppl and good luck will follow u..
i am quite, ahem, fearless.. i delete all such msgs...amazingly im still alive!!
btw, i love smsing ppl too.... i find it easier than making calls.

Oreen said...

hehe, just reply saying, tera bad luck toe abhi start hua jo tu mereko ye sms kiya...

Mampi said...

Pinku-Hafta, hehe. Shuru karne ka soch rahi hoon. Additional source of income... good idea, thankoo.

Pradeep-You are right, Only good things should be circulated.

I am what I am-Arey, I never fwd or keep them in the inbox.

NM-He is visibly upset, aint he?

HDWK-I will have to go the HDWK way.

Guri-I never got your sms.

Dipali-Absolutely.

Ritu-Survive? I rock.. I never fwd
them and always delete them.

Manasa-I feel like killing the forwarders.

Mithe-ZIndagi hai...

Sumanto-I laughed out loud at ur comment. Kitna dartey ho...

DeeplyDip-God doesnt have a cell for sure, hehe.

Abha-basically these sms get forwarded due to fear of the unknown.

MIP- Not very sensible kind of post though, hehe, right?

Mandy-I always always always delete them promptly.

Oreen-Next time, pacca, I am replying with these words. Thanks for the idea.

Unknown said...

hahaha... haan yehee kafi hay ke khud us pe amal ker lay...
first it were emails and now jab email bund hoieen toh sms... Godddd ppl need life...
btw i have a friend who works as a mobile customer rep... he confirmed that they send such kind of smss just to keep the business running n nuthing else... so koi zarurat nehein hay forward kerney ki... nothing will happen... no bad news... :p

Unknown said...

Oh I am in love with this widget rather your choice... such nostalgic songs... :)

PARRY said...

it reminds me of a day in my early childhood when i was sitting by the window side of my school bus and a person handed me a pamphlet of sai baba and how i shud pass at least 50 of them or i wud be cursed.
Being a true beliver in God during those times, the whole day i kept thinking of it. It was a sad day.
I dont know what's the loginc behind these messages

S.. Diva said...

"But what kind of a God is it that believes in SMS forwarding business?"

he he he.. i loved this one the best

Anonymous said...

Inspite of all technology and modern times, man's belief in miracles has not diminished. May be, that is how some people wish to remain tagged with their roots.

Sidhusaaheb said...

I used to receive a lot of such emails.

For a long while, I couldn't figure out what to do. Then, I started forwarding those to the senders themselves, as many times as the number of people I was meant to forward those to. I haven't received any in a long time now.

Salil said...

Good one.
They say that the only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.
Cheers,
Sal

Mampi said...

Afaque-I am glad you like the music. Its from my favorite music collection. Yes, about the SMS thingy. I am firm about not spreading the scare, but your friend's revelation is so sensational.

Parry-That makes God a very cheap commodity, doesnt it??

Sneha-Mil Jaye toe mere ko bhi batlana.

Himalayan Adventurer- I loved your different take on the issue. Yes, you are right. People are perhaps trying to tie themselves to roots that way, but my problem is-why scare others into tying themselves??

SS-That is actually a great idea. I will start doing that too.

Sal-You mean I still have hope?? Hehe

Rajesh G said...

Some People make advantages of such messages and send you in the mid-nights to demoralize you,it happened with me too... even now i'm scared to delete such sms ,after seeing your blogs and comments from so many members ,i feel you will become more pro-active and lucky only by deleting such sms immediately... Thanks you all guys...

Nitin said...

Give anger??
When you're sleeping and someone asks:
- Tá sleeping?
- No, training to die!

When you take an electronic device for maintaining
is the technical question!
- Tá defective?
- It's not that he was tired of staying at home and I brought him to walk.

- Going out in this rain??
- No, I will go next ...

When you just come up and 1 stupid question:
- Agreed?
- No.. I'm a sleepwalker!

Your friend calls his house and asks:
- Where are you?
- In North Pole! A hurricane took my house like that!

You just take a shower and someone asks:
- You took a bath?
- No! I took a dip in the toilet!

You're fishing when someone goes and asks
- Did you catch all these fish?
- No! These are fish suicide !!!!!

Send that message, a minimum w / 17 friends!
or have 17 years of bad luck!
E naum néh want it!

... just read ...
Ta worth

this is sent by a African gal to me
strange na these thing are hipping around the world