As the quality of life changes, there is an extinction of the old. These few things you rarely see in our country anymore; some are exclusively Indian.
Up until a few years ago, snake charmers roamed even the larger cities, amusing and frightening a curious, serpent-worshipping public. Now, of course, with animal cruelty and wildlife laws being strongly enforced, it's rare to chance upon one, especially in urban areas.
The typewriter is perhaps yet to take its final curtain call. You can still, very occasionally, see professional typists using the good ol' typewriter in crammed stalls outside Indian post offices and court buildings in smaller towns.
Up until a two and a half decades ago, all Indian households had a tall antenna balancing on the rooftop or over the television set. It was the only way you to get reception on your television -- for all two channels of Doordarshan!
When was the last time you even saw a camera that uses film rolls? The virtual extinction of the film camera has also seen the decline of photo albums.
They were once compulsory in Indian schools. But now, convenience is the name of the game and with so many alternatives like the ballpen and the micro-tip, the fountain pen's popularity has faded. It is only aficionados and creatures of habit who continue to flourish theirs today.
Do you remember a time when the lep wala, dhuniya or mattress fluffer arrived at your home with his twangy instrument to get your bed in ship-shape order? Stuffed cotton mattresses needed to be re-stuffed and batted from time to time to ensure there were no lumps and bumps.
By the 1980s, practically every middle-class Indian household could afford a VCR or video cassette player (before the days of cable). If you are below 30 you have probably never seen this gadget before, right?
How about the inland aerogramme? Remember those? You'd write on one, seal it using its gum-lined edges and post it. With hand-written letters dying out, it's only natural these are dying or perhaps gone.
Let us have a moment of silence for the modem, with its squeaky sound, which served us faithfully all those late nights surfing the web, before it became nearly obsolete.
Highway eateries are not disappearing. Far from it -- if anything, they're increasing dramatically. The authentic Indian truckers' dhabas, that was a small shack just off to the side, dim bulbs hanging off wires, khatiyas, butter-soaked parathas, creamy palak, biryani are fewer. Now they are family joints with a halogen billboard, seating for 50 and an overpriced menu!
The big black grinding stone or sil on which aromatic masalas and pastes were ground is fast being replaced by modern-day appliances that make the job much easier. But purists still insist that the grinding stone gives better results!
First there was the walkman. Then there was the discman. Then came the iPod. The first and second are extinct and the third is fast disappearing.