India, Oct. 5 -- These days I am plagued by OTPs which are actually one time passwords but they should be known as OTTPs or over the top passwords! They keep popping up out of the blue, you see. My phone announces to me each OTP at least three times and at times I require as many as three OTPs to log in to anything. It is as if I have to keep proving my veracity and my credentials to the universe! But then I remind myself that it is only an airline points system or a bank which is actually asking me to prove that I am, well, me. My associate will call me up for OTPs too. He helps me in various accounting matters and he always wants some OTP or the other. There is no point reasoning with him that I am a dreamy writer and motivational speaker. He insists that I do the needful and pass on the all important numbers to him forthwith. Neither the said associate nor the OTP in question display any consideration to the fact that I might be dining, sleeping, driving, day dreaming or whatever. They demand instantaneous responses. And one knows that the life of an OTP is even more fleeting than our own ephemeral existence, which the old Bollywood song described so well. But one still feels jealous of this OTP phenomena for being so demanding and for always having its way! The fact remains that proving one's authenticity while carrying out online transactions et al is truly a necessity. But one does truly wish that one did not have to perennially prove that one is human, as well as very quick with the fingers, and also with the brain. An invisible entity behind the screen seems to be running the artificial 'cosmic' show these days! And the said entity also seems to be having a great time laughing at us all the time. Recently, I was volunteering at a spiritual organisation's book section and an elderly couple came up to buy some wonderful books. The problem was that net banking was their only option to pay, and their OTPs were being delivered to their daughter's phone. And the said daughter was asleep in Seattle! One was happy to pay for their books at the time and they were noble people so the amount was duly returned the next morning. And I didn't need to receive an OTP to receive it! One wonders what else lies in store for us in this world which is beset by OTPs that surround our cognisance. I hope young men and women won't have to read out an OTP before declaring their love for each other, in future. The tentacles of AI are so strong that many a layer of a relationship will only be removed once the password is known! One more worry is that people will not talk to each other without OTPs in future. In any case Gen Z hardly communicates orally. Should there be further security measures implemented in this digitally infected society, even simple conversations will depend on passwords. Even more dangerous, of course, is the trend of gullible persons receiving calls to reveal an OTP that they have received. Thankfully, the government has carried out extensive awareness programmes on the subject but much more needs to be done in that direction. OTPs are no laughing matter for sure. But one does wish that technology would find a substitute. Face recognition seems to be an option but except for 'Digiyatra' one doesn't find many apps that use it effectively. What took the cake one day was the OTP required to receive a birthday cake, last year. One was all ready and eager to dig into the scrumptious looking delicacy but the OTP was not arriving in one's phone. Feeling rather exasperated, one asked the delivery person whether birthday boys could not be exempted from OTPs! The young man's wide grin was actually more than a birthday present. Obnoxious, terrible, and pesky, could be another full form of OTP, one feels. Perhaps Mr Elon Musk or someone, will finally manage to put paid to OTPs once and for all. Till then, we just have to handle the deluge!...