A BAG FULL OF GADGETS

I hate to travel, but I have to travel. My work involves travelling extensively across india, and I hate it. No, not because the roads are bad, the public transportation drags and people are uncouth, but from a technologist’s point of view carrying all your gadgets, making sure you are connected, toys charged and mails answered, is a challenge.
So, what do I do, other than write articles on my trusted Blackberry? Well, a few things that I have learnt, other than making sure there is plenty of diet colas in my car and mineral water bottles, is to carry the following with me:
Recharger and rechargable batteries. It is tough when you get dependent on someone to buy batteries for you. These days there are manufacturers like Uniross that keep you going, always.
Anchor power strip with universal connectors and indicators. This is my favourite gadget and something I have stashed away in every corner. The led lights on it tell me if its safe to connect my gadgets in case the earthing is not proper or the phase and neutral have been reversed. It also does away with having to carry multiple convertors. Charging my camera, Blackberry, laptop and mobile phone becomes easy even if the hotel, like most in India, provides just a single power outlet in the room.
On this particular trip we came across a lovely bottle of wine that we all wanted to enjoy. But in this small hamlet, a corkscrew was too much to ask for. So in came my handy old travel companion, the Victorinox 25-in-one Swiss Army knife. Though I love the model with a torch and pen drive in it, I am still old fashioned and use the one with just the tools.
Torchlights and flashlights always seem to have run out of charge or a bulb when you need them. So a chargeable torchlight is a must-have. Though this is still not easily available across India, you can find it at most Chinese gadget shops. Or carry a crank-operated light that uses light emitting diodes (LEDs) for the light source and has a crank mechanism which means you can just crank it up any time, anywhere to turn it into a flashlight.
Now, I need to get back to enjoying the cool winds of the Himalayas.
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The above article appeared in the Indian Express, on Sunday 31st of August, 2008