Tone down the tune

The days of the noisy ringtone, complete with heavy percussion and catchy beats are fading away. People don't want to be jangled into awareness by a ringing phone, they want to be gently reminded of a call.

Which is why, ringtone preferences are changing, moving towards softer, spiritual tones or just the ringing of the phone.

In many countries, the chiming of church bells or the sounds of religious songs or chants are being used to signify a spiritual season.

In Bangalore, during every festival, there is a substantial increase in the downloading of religious ringtones. Says Jacob Perez, vice president, sales and marketing of a mobile phone service provider, "There's a marked increase of spiritual ringtones during festivals.

People also gift spiritual ringtones to each other. I've even heard of people downloading certain spiritual discourses to feel more pious at various times.

"According to Manjunath Seetharam, senior manager, corporate communications of another mobile phone service provider says, "In our network, there is a 20-25 per cent increase in the downloading of spiritual ringtones, during certain months."

But for the rest of the year, more and more youngsters are opting for the basic ringing of the phone too. They feel that noisy ringtones intrude on other people's personal space.

Says young professional Karishma N, "Why can't everyone stick to the regular 'tring-tring'? That's the sound we are conditioned to as the ringing of the phone.

Why draw attention to yourself with a noisy ringtone? It's like singing in public and expecting everyone to listen. After all, in public spaces, we have to respect what other people feel."

According to college student Snehal Gowda, "I like to keep my ringtone simple and prefer a basic ringtone all the time. After all, the mobile phone is a necessity nowadays, and there is no need to flash it around with a loud ringtone. It shouldn't jar on anyone's ears when they hear it."

Monisha Gupta, 20, does not find loud ringtones of popular songs appealing in any way. "Regular ringing is just fine these days."

While student Neoshi Mehta adds, "I don't like to be disturbed by loud noise, which is why I keep my phone either on silent or with a regular ringing tone.

And though I like the sounds of babies crying and laughing, I find that they draw too much attention when they ring in a crowded place. It causes too much disturbance, so I'd rather stick to the basic tones all the time."