Chp 869. Two Months without WhatsApp

It's been more than 2 months now since I stayed off WhatsApp.

Not by choice though. Long story short - my phone suddenly died without any warning. A permanent death. I bought a new phone and synced all my data (contacts, apps, google pics, etc) to it. However, the last time I did a "cloud backup" of my WhatsApp data was more than 3 years ago!

Yeah, that was stupid of me.

If I install WhatsApp on my new phone now, I won't be able to retrieve the past 3 years' data as it is lying as a "local backup" in my dead phone. And with the battery and USB charging port of my old phone no longer functioning, the only way to retrieve that local backup file (without dismantling my phone and accessing the hard drive by brute force) is to replace the battery and USB port (which involves some amount of dismantling as well, but not as complicated).

Call me sentimental, but I like to treasure past moments. Those 3 years' data are precious to me, especially the part when I quit my job in the corporate sector and all the messages my girlfriend and I exchanged. Installing WhatsApp on my new phone without that will create a completely new backup file without any of those messages.

And yes, XDA developers forum did post a method to merge two different local backups, but the process is quite complicated, so I've decided to wait until I can retrieve my old backup file before I start using WhatsApp again.

Hence, the reason why I'm not on WhatsApp for more than 2 months now.

Phew.

Since I'm not on WhatsApp, some of you might assume that I'm being arrogant or inchhuang for not replying to your messages (not that I receive many messages anyway).

I received a few calls from friends and cousins during the past 2 months, asking me why I didn't reply to their messages on WhatsApp. My dear childhood friend and neighbour Muansanga (from our RYDERS group) even confronted me the other day while I was shopping for groceries at our local market, sternly asking me why I had blocked him on WhatsApp! :D

Once again, I had to explain that I didn't block anyone or ignore any messages.

The Solution:

Replacing a phone battery and other components is not as easy as it once used to be. Remember the good old days of monophonic ringtones and Nokia 3310 when we could just remove our phone battery any time we want? Good times.

Most smartphones of today no longer have a detachable battery, because having an integrated battery helps in making the phone slimmer, lighter, tighter, faster, cheaper and safer. A small price to pay for technological improvement.

The downside is that the only way to replace a phone battery now is to:

(1.) Give it to a repair shop or authorized service centre (which I don't feel secure about because of the amount of sensitive data and passwords stored in my phone)

(2.) Go to a friend who knows how to do this and ask him to replace it in front of you (which is hard for me because I don't know such people, and even if I do, commute is restricted by the lockdowns and my work at the farm)

And finally (3.) Do it yourself by purchasing a new battery and watching YouTube tutorials on how to replace it (which is again risky because it isn't a very simple procedure, and most of the batteries sold online are unreliable. On top of that, online shopping deliveries to Mizoram were also closed for many months due to the pandemic and Assam border issue)

Because of all those hassles, I'm living life without WhatsApp for now.

So, how does it feel like to live without WhatsApp?

I know, this question may seem ridiculous or even sound privileged, but the fact is, unlike other social media networks, WhatsApp has become a necessity today.

One can stay away from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media if you really want to, as they are just additional entertainment and distractions to your life (unless you're using them as the main source of communication for your start-up venture). There may be some amount of FOMO - the Fear Of Missing Out, but it is not that big of a deal to disconnect or deactivate one's account.

However, WhatsApp has been integrated so deeply into our daily lives now that it has become almost impossible to live without it. Today, WhatsApp is the number 1 messaging app used globally, and according to statisca, there are more than 2 billion active users every month.

In India alone, there are currently more than 390 million active users on WhatsApp according to backlinko, and the total number of Indians on WhatsApp including the not very active ones is estimated to be more than 500 million.

I still remember when WhatsApp was first launched in India back in 2010. That was during the dark era of Blackberry supremacy, when BB users would look down upon us Android fanboys, mocking us with their irritating and snobbish voices in a demeaning way.

They were so freaking proud of their BBMs (their Blackberry exclusive messenger service), talking about it at almost every opportunity they came across. Pitch meeting? BBM. Football match? BBM. Romantic dinner? BBM. Funeral rites? BBM. I'm sure that was what Blackberry users used to scream out during sex too, "Ahhhh... OMG... I'm coming... BBM... BBM... BBM!!!"

And so you can imagine my joy when WhatsApp was launched for us Android users, the geeky minority. But back then, in 2010, it wasn't popular yet. In fact, I only had FOUR contacts to chat with on WhatsApp for a very long time! Two of them were my colleagues at work (Vishnu and Abbas, my fellow Android brothers-in-arm at office) and the other two were my Mumbai Mizo friends TBC-a and Mapuia (MBA-a).

That was it. Just 4 people to chat with on WhatsApp. :D

Yeah, WhatsApp had come a long way since then.

Today it is so difficult to stay away from WhatsApp. It's no longer about socializing and leisure chit-chat timepass, people are now actually using it for work and other official purposes.

As cheaper smartphones and affordable data plans penetrate even the most rural corners of our country, WhatsApp's user base is growing at an exponential rate. Even back at my farm in Neihbawih, all my neighbouring farmers including the daily labourers and farmhands all use WhatsApp now.

In fact, I swear I saw some of the cows and pigs around my farm chatting on WhatsApp the other day. :P

Jokes aside, the popularity of WhatsApp within our Mizo community is astronomical.

Almost everybody is on multiple WhatsApp groups here in Mizoram today, from the different Church-based groups to YMA groups, family groups, association groups, department groups, union groups, trade groups, office groups, student groups, teacher groups, information groups, initiative groups, etc etc., not to mention the thousands of friendship-based groups. Any news or information is quickly transmitted through this medium.

Even in my locality Chaltlang, all important information like the distribution of ration or gas, funeral announcement, vaccination drive, latest CoVid-19 news, and lockdown SOPs are all announced through our "official" locality WhatsApp groups.

So yes, I am missing out on ALL that because of my exclusion from WhatsApp. I have become so out of touch with the latest Mizoram news or gossips that I'm feeling like a hermit living in a cave. But at the same time, I've never experienced this much peace and tranquillity in a looong time too. Ignorance is bliss, they say. How true.

Like for example, I only learned about the recent Mizoram-Assam border clash 2-3 days later, lolz. And by the time I caught up with the news and wrote my 3-part blog post series debunking the lies made against Mizoram, the situation was already resolved and people had already moved on to other topics, lolzzz.

Yeah, that was sad.

But there is one reason I'm quite relieved about not being on WhatsApp, and that is the rise of the "WhatsApp uncles and aunties". These are people who forward blatant lies and distorted facts at the touch of a button without making any attempt to verify them first, all because it is "easy to do so".

I've been on Twitter long enough to know that this is a trend across not just India but worldwide as well. We mockingly call such people "WhatsApp University graduates". :D

The amount of misinformation such people spread through WhatsApp is astonishing. And I'm not just talking about people forwarding this fake news to their respective groups. Some of them actually take the time to translate such nonsense to Mizo, word by word, sometimes spanning 30-40 paragraphs, and then forward them to different Mizo groups. Damn.

Yeah, some people really do have too much time in their hands. Literally.

I'm just glad I don't have to read all those misinformation because of my hiatus from WhatsApp, as I sometimes tend to get "triggered" on reading such absurd lies. It's extremely relieving to stay away from all that, to be honest. And yes, there's a term for that apparently, and it's called JOMO - the Joy Of Missing Out.

[image credit: The Oatmeal]

Online delivery to Mizoram had finally opened again last week and I ordered a new OnePlus 6 battery (BLP657) and USB Charging Board Port Flex Cable, along with a tool kit comprising of suction, magnetizer, demagnetizer and set of anti-static screwdrivers. Let's hope the battery and charging port aren't defective, fingers crossed.

There's a rumour going on that OnePlus will be offering free battery replacement, but I'm sure this will take some more time even if it's true, and anyway, there are currently no OnePlus outlets in Mizoram, so this is a useless announcement for me.

If all goes well, I will be back on WhatsApp again soon. Hoping to see you all on my next post. Stay blessed and take care, everyone.

Chp 868. Assam-Mizoram dispute: Lies and Facts-3

Previous posts:

Assam-Mizoram border dispute: Lies and Facts - 1

Assam-Mizoram border dispute: Lies and Facts - 2

This is the third and final part of this series. It's quite difficult for me to juggle between writing about this issue (where good internet is required) and working at my farm in Neihbawih (where there is extremely poor data connection).

Hence the reason why most of my posts are late. I won't even be sharing this third part on social media, but I'm just putting it on my blog for future reference as all the damaging lies about Mizoram are still out there.

The situation between the two states has vastly improved during the past few days, with both sides meeting for talks, cancelling their FIRs against each other and withdrawing their travel advisories. The "unofficial" Assam economic blockade has been lifted as well, albeit a few incidents of vandalism at Lailapur, which has gone largely unreported by national media.

Even if both states completely mend their fences (which is what everybody in the North East wants), the next time any incident involving Mizoram happens again (which can be related to any issue), all this disinformation about Mizoram will go viral once more. That's why it is very important to put all these facts out here for anyone to read.

So without wasting any more of your time, here's the last lie about the Assam-Mizoram border dispute.

Lie #12. "Violence happened because of drugs".

Finally, here it comes. The drugs angle.

Ahh, well played, HBS, well played indeed.

It is no secret that Mizoram faces a drug problem. That part is true. However, this is a problem faced by all Northeastern states as well, not just Mizoram, due to our porous borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Every NE state is doing their best to combat this menace. Drug trafficking is one of the main sources of income for insurgent groups across the North East [source: Indian Army], so this very fact puts a big dent on the claim that Mizoram is a major player on illicit drugs, as there are no insurgent groups in Mizoram.

Assam officials even went on to claim that Assam had seized many drugs coming from Mizoram (where was such news before the incident?) and that Assam Police had caught many drug peddlers from Mizoram (who are these unknown Mizos, and again, where was such news before 26/7?).

HBS then declared a compulsory checking of ALL vehicles moving from Mizoram to Assam.

This is nothing but a gross misuse of power and exploitation of authority. What guarantee is there that Mizos will not face harassments on such searches? What if all their clothes and other belongings packed in their bags are thrown out mercilessly on the muddy road and any signs of protest met with violence?

This can also mean that Mizo students passing through Assam can no longer take their much cherished local food back to their hostels, as their pickle jars containing Mizo delicacies can be shattered into pieces under the pretext of "searching for drugs" and their smoked pork & fermented soybeans confiscated on suspicion of being beef.

I'm not saying Assam officials will definitely do those things. Assamese are good people and our relationship with them has always been good (other than the border dispute of course). But considering the timing and vindictive nature of this order, who's to say those things won't happen either?

Meanwhile, Mizoram has a different story to tell.

According to various reports from Mizoram Police, while Heroin and Ganja are indeed usually confiscated at the Myanmar border, around 80% of Meth (Methamphetamine) that had been confiscated in Mizoram so far is from Assam border. This is one of the many news in the recent past where Meth dealers from Assam were caught by Mizoram Police.

Apart from Meth, Mizoram's State Excise and Narcotics Commissioner Pu Ngurchungnunga Sailo stated that all Proxyvon Spasmo (another dangerous opioid) seized in Mizoram had all come from Assam entirely.

According to DIPR Press Release, in the past 10 years, 1.05 kg of Heroin, 3057.08 kg of Pseudoephedrine, 430385 caps of Parvon Spas, 24.114 kg of Ganja and 13053 caps of Proxyvon had been seized from Assam drug dealers in Mizoram, which resulted in 296 cases registered and 395 people from Assam arrested.

Mizoram has proof of all the arrests above. The real question is, does Pu Himanta have proof to back his claim?

And drug isn't the only problem Mizoram faces from Assam. All fake currency rackets that has been busted in Mizoram are connected to residents of Assam as well.

If HBS is going to check every vehicle entering Assam from Mizoram, I really hope he does the same with vehicles entering Mizoram from Assam too. This will keep Mizoram so much safer from drug trafficking and fake currency circulation! Thank you so much, HBS.

Similarly, if people are going to cook up a wild conspiracy theory that "drug mafias from Mizoram" are the ones stirring up trouble at the border, is it safe for us to assume that "fake currency barons from Assam" are the ones stirring up trouble at the border as well? Same logic, you know.

But we won't say all that, because we all know the only reason for the border dispute is due to the conflict in 1933 and 1875 demarcations between the 2 states. Not because of any other reasons, like drugs and all those other BS I've written about in my previous posts.

The very fact that all 12 lies I have pointed out in these three posts are no longer discussed by the media or people today proves that nobody is interested in propaganda. The truth always comes out eventually.

This border dispute may still be around for many years to come, as it has always been since Independence. But that doesn't mean we need to drag Mizoram's name down by spreading unsubstantiated claims and accusations.

Perhaps in the future, if this same issue springs up again, I hope the good people of India as well as those "unbiased" mediapersons shouting from their studios will at least stick to discussing only about the border issue and nothing else.

I'll end this post with this cute and touching artwork by my friend Cyef Parker. At the end of the day, all we want is just peace.

Disclaimer: Once again, let me iterate that I'm not affiliated with any political party, organization or media in Mizoram, and my thoughts are purely my own. I'm just a simple farmer who was ploughing my fields and clearing terraces for my next harvest, happily minding my own business when I heard about this large scale and well co-ordinated disinformation attack on Mizoram and decided to write something about it.