Identify Yourself, Please!

Yet another phone call, same questions, same answers! "How are you?" "Fine, thank you"

"How is XYZ?" "He is fine too" "And ABC?" By then my head stars spinning...."who is this?" I ask and there is shocked silence at the other end. After a minute or two the connection comes to life again and the bruised voice asks "didn't you recognize me?" The hurt in the voice pains me and I feel guilty for days for not having recognized the caller, but tell me honestly, is it my fault?

Matters get worse when I pick up the phone meant for someone else, of course land line phone where there is no caller ID. I pick up the phone, give adequate replies to all standard courtesy question and hand over the receiver to whoever the caller asks for. As I heave a sigh of relief at having got over an ordeal, the question is paused to me, "Who is it?" I have no other option but to shrug my shoulders to convey that I am at absolute loss to identify the caller.

I have a question to ask to all the callers "why can't you identify yourself when you call?" "Why do you expect others to recognize your voice? When you are not a regular caller, when we do not talk everyday, when I do not get to listen to your voice regularly on radio/television as neither are you a newsreader, nor a leader giving lectures on air, how, tell me how am I going to recognize the sound of your voice?" I entreat you all, I love you all, respect you all but PLEASE make it a habit to identify yourself when you make a call.

I admit I do not have super human powers, I am an average human. I HAVE to be told who you are. I know I am DUMB, but that's the way I am, so please keep this in mind next time you call, and spare me the embarrassment and the feeling of guilt.