The Wall

Let me walk you through time.

Situation 1

You are somewhere in Central Asia. As a trader, you are following the Silk Route. It's early 19th century.

You meet a man as you stop for water. 

You ask, "Hey. Have you heard of the wall?"

He replies "Are you referring to the Great Wall of China?"

He points his hand towards the east and says "It's right there."

Situation 2

Fast forward to the 1970's.

You are in Central Europe at the height of Cold War and a few years after the end of the World War 2.

Walking the streets of Paris, you meet a man as you stop for water.

You ask, "Hey. Have you heard of the wall?"

He replies "Are you referring to the Berlin Wall?"

He points his hand towards Germany and says "It's right there." 

Situation 3

Fast forward to the 1990's.

You are in India at the height of the Cricket World Cup fever.

Walking on the streets of Mumbai, you meet a man as you stop for water.

You ask, "Hey. Have you heard of the wall?"

He replies, "Are you referring to Rahul "The Wall" Dravid?" 

He points his hand towards the billboard and says "He's right there." 

Situation 4

Time flies, and it is 2010.

Walking on the streets of Tokyo (it doesn't matter even if it is London, New Delhi, Moscow or New York), you meet a man as you stop for water.

You ask "Hey. Have you heard of the wall?"

He points his hand towards his cellphone and says "It's right there."

Shell shocked, you see a wall - without any bricks.

But I wouldn't offer any prizes for guessing it.

It is the Facebook Wall.

This is a short story of how the humble wall has transitioned from being a landmark, to being a barrier between two nations, to being superstar cricketer, and finally being a hottest trend on the internet!!

What next??