Pocket Companion: My life with a phone

'Nowadays a smartphone is our friend, family and everything'

So let's read my story with a Smartphone.

I have used many phones till date. For example, during matriculation, I was using a Nokia phone with keypad, then during the holidays after matriculation, I was using a second hand Samsung phone. 

After entering college in +2 I brought a Lava phone, then I brought my current phone in +3 in the year 2021 and am still using it.(It is the story of this phone).

Story of my current phone is really adventurous. I'm sure you won't find a story like this anywhere else.

So in the beginning of 2021 when I brought this phone named POCO x3, which is a flagship phone with many specifications. I was surprised by its features and quality.

I have never used such a feature packed phone before. I was amazed by its speed, camera and video quality.

Within a few days I started using its features and started shooting some good photos and videos. And also created a youtube channel and started posting some tourist places of Balangir.

My phone recognized as a photography phone

Whenever we friends gather or there is a function, everyone looks for me because of my phone.

In March 2022 I started vlogging and uploaded on the channel I created. I am still continuing the vlog obsession. This is the phone that helped me find my passion.

With the help of the phone, I was quick to share photos, videos, also shared study material on the phone and continued to vlog and had a lot of fun.

This is my memory keeper.

Everything was going well. 2022 ended, it was a good year for me, also we enjoyed trips and fun with friends in the first two months of 2023 too, but that nightmare happened to me on March 2023. 

My phone was stolen.

It was 12th March 2023, I and a friend of mine went to Rourkela by train a day before our SSC CHSL exam. reached Rourkela on 13 March. 

My friend took the exam and it was good. Later we visited some nearby places as it was our first time in Rourkela. 

Later came to railway station and started looking for an affordable lodge to stay as I had exams the next day.

We couldn't find any affordable lodges nearby. Later came to the railway station and searched for the waiting hall. 

But our mistake was that we did not stay inside the waiting room, but stayed in the verandah of the waiting hall. We asked nearby officials to give us mats and slept there.

It was a great day in Rourkela, friend gave exams, we also visited the city. Discussed about all this. See photos videos. 

Later my friends told that - he was sleeping and he kept his phone and money inside the bag and I saw this and I also kept my purse in my bag and started studying from the phone because as  I have the same exam the next day.

While studying I decided to put the phone in my bag and sleep.

But But.

After some time when I accidentally woke up.

The first thing I did was start looking for my phone. Later called my phone from friend's phone, phone is not reachable, switched off. etc.

I was out of my mind.

And what I didn't expect happened.

Suddenly went to the CCTV room of the waiting hall.. asked the owner to check. And what I saw still gives me goosebumps, a medium height black boy wearing a blue jacket snatched my phone while I was sleeping and kept it near my bed.

The first thing that comes to my mind is how will I tell this to my parents who are thinking that I have come here to take the exam and this is it. I was shocked and started cursing myself that why was I sleeping, that's why this happened.

Later when we contacted the Railway Authority RPF, they saw the footage of the entire station in their CCTV. And saw the thief in the camera. 

He was a clever thief after snatching my phone while no one was looking, he was behaving normally and after coming out of the waiting hall he ran towards a random train and left the station.

The authority sends the footage to other personnel to find out if he is still in the station. Later I, my friend and a person from the waiting hall went to find the thief. First we saw the railway station, later outside the station, later we moved towards the bus station thinking that there would be thief. But not found anywhere else.

While returning from the bus stop i was realizing why I had come here and what I was doing. Around 12,  1 am in the  midnight I'm looking for a thief due to a small mistake.

'Sometimes a small mistake becomes the cause of a big problem'

Later we went to Rourkela Railway Station Police GRP. Knocked the door of the police station but no one heard as it was night, our government employees can sleep during night duty while we are facing problems. ok very good....

Later returned to the waiting hall with sadness.

Later on next morning (14th March) woke up in the morning and tried to contact some of my friends and brothers through my friend's phone, he did not have everyone's numbers, but through a mutual friend's contact I was able to find some number. 

Contacted those people who have idea to track the phone or things related to the FIR.

We tracked through Find My Device but the thief was so clever that he turned off the location and also switched off the phone as soon as he came out of the waiting hall. For this reason the location of the phone was showing waiting hall.

Later we went to the police station GRP because we failed to inform the police last night. Later when I told everything to the police, they asked many questions like how did it happen, when did it happen etc. And instead of finding solutions, they started finding our mistakes like why we didn't sleep inside the waiting hall or stay in a lodge etc.

Later I said frustratedly, Sir, find solution instead of blaming us and let me file the FIR quickly, I have an exam in the afternoon.

He said that today you have an exam, for that your parents have sent you here and what are you doing? After some time he encouraged me that whatever happened happened, now focus on the exam and with the job you can bring many such phones etc. (this sounds good but not practical). And he told us to come to the police station after the exam and then FIR will be filed.

Later, a call came on the friend's phone through a mutual friend. He said that my parents tried to call me but it was switched off. Later I contacted home and they asked me to tell them whatever happened. Parents angrily asked why you slept there or why you were not careful when you were at another city, but later said forget it, just concentrate on the exam now.

Later my friend and I went to the examination centre. Before the entrance time a friend encouraged me to study some general knowledge and think about the exam by forgetting about mobile for a while.

Later I entered the examination hall. This was my first time in SSC exam. Too much checking and verification. Later I sat on my seat and started taking the exam. For a while I forget about the phone and concentrate on the exam. But thoughts started coming spontaneously. Overall gave an average exam. Questions were moderate and my brain failed to answer it.

Later after the exam had lunch somewhere in Rourkela. Later friends and family asked how did your exam go? I said average type. Later came to the police station to lodged an FIR. There were no police there, only one or two. We waited for a while.

Later, after some time, police officers came. We asked the officer to quickly register the FIR as we have a train for Balangir after some time.

They asked us many questions, meanwhile it was too late, they suggested us to go to Balangir that day and lodge FIR from Balangir GRP to Rourkela GRP the next day.

So we returned from Rourkela by train. The journey is not the same as coming here. Later in the night, after reaching Balangir station, I said bye to my friend and saw that my father and brother had come to pick me up. I didn't say a single word until I reached home.

Later had dinner at home and my family members knew the reason for my silence, they didn't say much, just asked how it happened and encouraged me to be positive and file FIR and get the phone.

Next day I woke up without my phone and went to Xerox shop with mobile documents and Aadhar details and went to Balangir GRP station with my friend.

The police officer of Balangir GRP is friendly and helped me in writing a good FIR to strengthen the case. He also expressed hope to us that the phone will be recovered soon.

During this period I was not going to college, I was very upset because the phone is full of nothing but memories and documents.

After a few days, some of my friends contacted me and encouraged me to go to college. During this time I also realized that those who are not okay with your silence are your real friends and those who have nothing to do with it are just acquaintances.

After a couple of days a police lady called me and told that she is looking into my case and also shared the copy of the FIR.

After a few days, I got a call from MO SARKAR regarding my case. They asked me questions like-  how the police behave with me, how their attitude towards you,etc. They asked me a question - whether they asked you to sit in the police station or not?

This type of initiative is good for public service delivery.

I started normalizing not having that phone and started using other phones available at home. Also started going to college etc.

Every month I called the police about updates on my case. She behaved rudely but hoped that she would find the thief as soon as possible.

After a few days, I again went to Rourkela with some of my friends and met the police and asked about the case. But my dealing police officer is not there. Contacted IIC and told them about the problem i was facing due to not having that phone etc. She contacted my police officer.

One thing I noticed is that Rourkela GRP has the highest number of female police personnel. 

IIC is a female officer many ASI are female officer also some constable lady.

Later, that police lady came when I talked to the police madam, she again started investigating the entire process. I started telling all the information from beginning to end. Some questions she asked twice to check whether my answer was the same or not. Police is at its best.

Later she sent my phone information to tracking process, and after few moments she told that my phone is in Tamil Nadu.

And told us to go home, said it would take time, but we would try our best.

Days were passing like this, every day I was hoping that maybe today I would get a call from police regarding the phone. Parents were also hopeful for it also they were praying God.

Those days, whenever I sleep till late in the morning at home, I hear taunts like you have lost your phone due to sleep, yet you are not changing.

Also Once my parents did not allow me to go somewhere outside Odisha as i had to go for my friend's work. They don't believing me and blaming my negligence.

A mobile phone is changing my environment and the behavior of people around me.

.....

And the day I've been waiting for has come. It was around 6:30 pm on 25 September 2023, for the first time the police called me and said that your phone has been found, come to Rourkela and take it.

I couldn't believe it myself, later I told my parents about it. My mother was so happy that she came from the kitchen and talked to me about this magic that she had forgotten that she was making tea, later we saw that all the tea had dried up and was burnt in gas.

A day later, I suddenly went to Rourkela by train with two of my friends. This journey was different and full of happiness. Later reached the police station.

The police gave me the phone, I thanked them. Also asked how and where he got the phone. She said that it was Hyderabad, the device was found from the coaching centre.. I also asked where the thief is. She said that he (thief ) was also a student like you, so we did not take much steps to ruin his career. But still I asked madam that thief done wrong to me. Police said that - we have given legal notice, we will take further action later.

Later when I checked the phone, it was damaged in many ways but was still fine. Saw the photo of the thief in the phone.he was using this phone as his phone.. Photo, Instagram, WhatsApp, everything was there. 

Had lunch, had fun with friends in Rourkela and repaired the phone with cover glass card later came back to Balangir.

Later, when I reached home and showed the phone to my family members, they were happy. Mother fed me a sweet and welcomed me. This sounds something special.

Also they advised me to be cautious and not make such mistakes again.

My parents also have religious faith, they had prayed to God that after getting the phone back, I would offer coconut to God in the temple.

I went to the temple with my friend and offered coconut to God who listens to our prayers.

Thank You God...

And then within a few days, I started vlogging again on this phone and whenever my friends and relatives met me, they could not believe that I had got my phone back from Hyderabad.

Really grateful to all those people who supported me during this bad phase of my life. And special thanks to that police lady, she may be rude but she is good at her duty.

During this time I realized many things that the world is materialistic, just one mobile phone changes a person. We are very passionate about it. Lack of phone broke me in many ways.

Recently there was a malfunction in this phone. Parents said due to thief's mischief the phone is not working also i doubted the same. 

But anyway i repaired the phone. This is the first time that I repaired this device other than the cover and glass card.

This is my story with this phone.

There are so many things to write, but you can't read them all, meet me and I will tell the rest.

At last I just want to tell you,

Keep your phone safe and don't make it so important that its absence can break you.

And believe in your prayers and be patient, Apart from this, if your phone is stolen then trust the police procedure too.

Thank you for reading...

~Sugyan Nanda

Post graduate student of Political Science

Rajendra University, Balangir