FUTURE CITY: VISIONS AND BEYOND

FUTURE CITY SERIES: PART 8

A WORLD UNDER : UNDER- WORLD URBANIZATION

SURROGATES

BY

SANCHAYITA CHATTERJEE

                                                     

And then Rahul could hear the alarm ringing. That was supposed to be his wake up call, though not really for him to wake up but just to switch on his surrogate version. And then again the rest of the work will be done. “Rest of the work” includes household chores, dropping his daughter to school, going to office, do his job, and then coming back again at evening with some shopping if there is any need for it. As for Rahul, he just needs to sit comfortably in his sofa or lie in his bed and monitor the Surrogate Rahul. It’s of his age, size and technically similar but just a biological Robot.  

An eye on the alarm clock reminded him the date 21^st August 2067. No he isn’t waiting for the salary to reach his bank account for managing the robot all day long. It was exactly the date 15 years back when he was married to Anjali. Things used to be easier back then and of course more pleasant. Every year, Rahul used to gift her something and she used to wait eagerly for that. But not anymore, at least not for the last 5 years. She was lying beside him.

Waving away all those thoughts Rahul lazily moved his hand towards the console, switched the Robot on and sent him for the cleaning. He moved towards Tinni, their only child, 8 now, to wake her up. The only job in his whole day that actually allows for stretching his muscles, not that he doesn’t love to, but he doesn’t need to.

Tinni isn’t much of a trouble like her mother; once awake she herself will get her console and switch her Surrogate Robot on and the rest. She is still in Tutorial mode, so she needs some help of her father but days are coming sooner than ever when she won’t even need that.

Rahul took some effort to make a cup of coffee for himself but the Robot-maid denied his wish, as it was already programmed ‘coffee at 7:15 along with breakfast pill and served where he is’. Rahul sometimes hate these things, he feels the surprise, the waiting, and the eagerness about anything is gone. Things would come as per the programming done and not leave room for much change.

Rahul was waiting for Rahul’s order to get Tinni ready for school. He was thinking that he won’t send her to school. Dad and her little princess will just spent some laid-back time together at least on this day. His clouds of thoughts were cracked by Tinni’s demand to get her Robot ready for school as she has an important assignment to submit and a debate competition to participate in.

After the Robots left, Rahul didn’t have much to do. Tinni was with her console and her Goggle Vision, she can see whatever her Robot can see & read. That helps her to learn whatever is happening to school without being actually present there. It’s not only for her but for the kids of this whole city, they can sit back at home and can have school like experience.

Rahul was observing his robotic versions move, it waved Tinni good bye near the school gate and moved towards his office in the solar powered car, it has become too cheap these days. He still remembers how pleasant the walk used to be from Tinni’s school to his office; the sunlight was milder back then, almost harmless. Now anyone wouldn’t even dare to go out in sunlight. The holes in the ozone layer have effected havoc, UV rays are dangerous than ever. That’s how the solution and importance of Surrogate Robots have reached the epitome. They don’t have a skin so they are not affected, human being can stay at home; underground, inside sealed doors and windows that wouldn’t let them get harmed and keep them safe. 

Rahul still remember those days; 5 years back; it was a sensation all around, the RUSSIANS had predicted a dangerous hole would burst open in the ozone layer especially near the equator and can spill catastrophic havoc on mankind but NASA waded of this whole idea claiming this to be just another threat from the skeleton of Soviet government. But they were proved wrong in less than ten days.

UV rays carved a niche for itself damaging the ozone layer, continents, countries, millions of people were literally burnt. Most affected was the Dark Continent of Africa. Anjali was there on a photography project she wished to go since she didn’t even remember. Like thousands of people she came back dipped in a solution, only heart pumping; skin or any other organs couldn’t respond. The doctors said she’s in coma, with no chances of coming back. Even if her brain starts responding, she will die instantly of skin suffocation. But still, Rahul wanted to keep her as it was. He could never sign her off, never give up on her, like he never did, like she never died. 

Those holes started to spread all over and now it has affected Calcutta. Yes, the name has been changed back to its Colonial version. People in this city too don’t go out any more. There are no traffic jams near Shyambazar. It seemed impossible fifty years back but programmed robots are not supposed to break signals or overtake or whatever nonsense Humans used to do.

Now people stay back in their cool cozy homes and the Surrogate Robots were there to handle the rest. The high-rise buildings near Rajarhat are the only place where people like surrogates work. Factories are run by machines. Human prefers to stay hidden and concealed; they don’t have a choice either, because that's the only way to stay alive.

His train of thoughts stopped by the beep of his console indicating that his surrogate has reached the office, after submitting the bills and annual maintenance charge for the family. Then it's supposed to be same old boring job in his cubicle. Though, not supposedly a busy day, but Rahul was feeling restless. He rather wanted to do something else. He had a glance on Tinni; she seemed busy in her class.

Tinni was just 3; when Anjali returned in an incubator. Earlier he used to take her in the nearby park beside the lake every evening for a stroll. They used to roam, buy her something or just gibberish talks. Anjali used to join twice or thrice a week, she used to be busy with her project and devoted the whole time for that after Tinni was born and stable, that paid her off with an assignment with National Geographic to Africa. She gave him the news making Rahul glad and gloomy at the same time. A three month long project and he didn't have the faintest idea that she will come back in just 2 weeks.

Rahul was feeling frustrated since he hadn't seen the sunlight, never felt heat or sweat in the last 5 years, never twitched a muscle after a long walk along the road. He felt like breaking free, his angst of bondage to let him be alive was killing him from inside every minute. He pacified himself while his eyes fell on Tinni. She stretched her arms and legs; must be her lunch break. The maid-Robot served her with Lunch Pills.

These pills keep them alive, tasteless, odorless, but would pacify your hunger for at least six to eight hours. Rahul thought; she probably doesn’t remember how sunlight used to be. Being inside, under the fluorescent lights, Rahul can’t even imagine his childhood like this. But the reign of Mother Nature had them accept these situations. The pollution level got higher day by day, they warned about the carbon footprint, about the results. The ICT wasn’t less responsible for this breach but can’t be avoided. Smart Cities were affected the highest. New York, Paris, Berlin, London, Tokyo, New Delhi, Calcutta, Bangalore, Hong-Kong all are heading towards being deserted. 

People are moving towards forest or towards the poles for a temporary refinement, while being unsure of how long that would last. But that again indicates a total breakdown of economy. If human doesn’t earn or spend, the ABM (Automatic Banking Machine) set up at everyone’s home is going to be outdated. It will lose its ability to trail out money for the day, as per the date of the month and requirement of the family. The most urbanized species would have no choice but to get back to the lap of nature where it all started million years back as almost all of the cities are increasing the size of the hole in the ozone layer on them.

Millions of Rahul are getting frustrated by being dependent on something or someone else. Human nature is changing as days pass by. People hate to go out of their confinement; gatherings and gossiping around can only be found in Tinni’s history book. Where it mentions people in the cities once used to go out of their houses have fun, meet each other, during various festivities, but not anymore.  

Rahul was wondering how long this would go on, would he be alive, when an artificial ozone layer can actually be created, that he read on the News Slides the other day. It was destroyed the very next day as soon as its importance is finished. Unlike the newspaper that would pile at corner of the home like in early days of this century, or else he would have checked it once more. But Rahul felt impatient and fantasized about once going up from his underground home and just to check through his own eyes how the sky looks, he could bet this time of the year it’s the bluest. But on a second thought, he was terrified of a future for him like what Anjali is leading. Heart-Pumping. But then again he couldn’t pacify himself, he felt too restless to sit and control the console he kept it aside.

Moved his legs, looked at Tinni who was busy as usual. With each moving step Rahul remembered that his only reason for joy in the last 5 years has been Tinni. What he was about to do could make her nothing but an orphan. But still he couldn’t resist himself.

One peek-a-boo and then again he would be back in his own comfy home, is what Rahul decided. Each step was heavier than before. Years of non-movement has made his muscles stiff. On the way to the elevator the muscles started to revolt; they won’t give up years of laziness.

But Rahul could not control his inconsolable absence of the sky, one breath in the natural air, no matter how polluted it has become, Tinni, but nothing could have stopped him today. He could see the faintest sunlight breaching through the elevator. He could feel the sensation in his skin, he moved faster so that he could come back before it actually affects him. The path didn’t seem to end.

Rahul didn’t remember whether he did left this whole artificial environment for once. That even pushed him further. He was getting closer by each step. Rahul pushed the lift button and waited for it to reach down. Wait, he thought one of the many things missing from today’s life no one has to wait for anything before you think the job is done as programmed.

He stepped into the elevator it started moving up, he could smell it. The air was different he could sense something wasn’t right. Rahul was feeling tired like never before, but not to go back he felt a sense of dizziness spreading all over him He couldn’t move his fingers. Last thing he remembered was his own voice that rang into his ears, “You wouldn’t be doing that”. He was dragged back.

And then Rahul could hear the alarm ringing. That was supposed to be his wake up call, though not really for him to wake up but just to switch on his surrogate version. And then again the rest of the work will be done.

Author’s Bio- Note:

Sanchayita Chatterjee is currently pursuing Masters in Geography from Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.