This photo is a working telephone distribution box of an apartment complex in Karachi. At one end, the box is connected to the local telephone exchange and on other it makes individual connections to several homes.
I had initially chosen this photo for its photographic quality and subject but since then many random thoughts keep coming to my mind. We would love to hear what you think of this photo and what else does it remind you (i.e. tashbeehaat).
(1) From my past life, it reminds me of how the telephone staff had once made a mistake in a similar distribution box. The connections of two apartments got switched. Whenever I called my friend, it went to their neighbors. So after few tries, I decided to call their neighbors number and true to my suspicion, the call went through to my friend’s home. This went on for many days until the telephone staff finally corrected the problem.
(2) Looking at this cobweb of wires, it is amazing how telephone technicians can trace a wire from a home to its correct connection in this distribution box.
(3) Also reminds me of this sher:
kal mila waqt to zulfain teri suljha doon ga
aaj uljha hoon zara waqt ke sulajhne main
yoon to sulajh jatee hain uljhee zulfain
umr kat jati hai waqt ke sulajhne main
Photo Credits: Trekearth
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I remember from my childhood that a technician came to troubleshoot our home phone. He put me on the home-set listening, while he went cimbing the telephone pole in the street and tapping into distribution set (similar to the one shown in this photo). As soon as I was able to hear him, he figured out which line was going into our home…so that is how line sorting is/was done in a cobweb of wires in Pak.
Tim, telephone technicians in Pak who go servicing these distribution boxes don’t have access to tone generators. They usually have test lamps (to check current) and a handy phone unit to tap into a phone line and to check if it is live or not. I’ve even seen a technician touching telephone wire by tongue (60 V DC) to check if it was live or not. 60 V Dc is provided by the batteries in telephone exchange. The first time I saw a tone generator was during my MS course when an engineer colleague from Siemens proudly did some software decoding on a digital Dial Tone generator as part of our class project. My point is dial tone generators are not commonly available at technician level. Only available to engineers or research people.
Tim, you really think that telephone workers in Pakistan working on this box will actually have cable toners ;-)
If one could invest in bulk buying cable toners one would first invest in cleaning up the wire mess.
>(2) Looking at this cobweb of wires, it is amazing how telephone technicians can trace a wire from a home to its correct connection in this distribution box.
a cable toner does exactly that; plug the tone generator into a jack in the residence, take the other end with a speaker and probe to the box and start poking the wires.
And this is called entrpenuership
The first analogy that came to my mind was that with the existential conditionof a typical poor citizen in Pakistan. Decimated, ignored, left to fend for himself/herself with the ravages of violence, exposure to elements, sickness, and malnourishment. Even bent out of shape due to being subjected to incessant suffering caused by “imtidAd-e-zamAna”.
Yet, like that rusted connection box, he/she still drags on - for whoever’s sake - and gives something useful back to the society…
Actually, the wires around my computer and those from my stereo system looks kind of the same….
It reminds me of the state of Pakistan. Both work with the grace of God. Mind you it is not an isolated instance. It is a common sight in multistory buildings. And please also note that the electric distribution wires from meters in large buildings are similarly jumbled up which is much more dangerous.