Running rings round us

What’s in a ring tone? Plenty, if you ask Mumbai police commissioner Arup Patnaik. Recently, the senior officer issued a government circular, no less, warning his subordinates to avoid using ‘vulgar’ ring tones. Cut the officialese and it means a ban on item number ring tones. So goodbye ‘Munni Badnam Hui’ and any thoughts of silky Sheila, instead back to the classics or the trusty old ‘tring, tring’.

The top cop, reports say, wants to change the public’s perception of men in khaki and, therefore, has sent this circular. Now you can’t fault the man for doing this. Just think about his predicament: he is on a surprise check and lands up at a police station late at night. He sees things out of order there and starts lecturing the men there about the rulebook. Even as he thunders and the men look down and out, suddenly a mobile phone comes alive to the sound of, horror of all horrors: ‘Sheila Ki Jawani…!’ Not once, but twice! Studies say ring tones do say a lot about the mobile owners’ personality and Patnaik must have definitely gauged the mood at the station.

Nevertheless, it’s not such a bad thing to have an item number: after all everyone listens to them these days. In fact, a normal ring tone suggests that you are showing your age and your inability to master technology and change the ring tone. Don’t believe it? Even we don’t. So, using the same logic, then ‘Munni Badnam Hui’ really does not reveal anything, does it? So Mr Patnaik, let there be music wherever we go.