Steeped in Nostalgia
These days I long for a time when life was simple. And so were our joys. I remember… my childhood… pure and simple… In those days hyper parenting was unheard of. This meant that in the absence of ambitious and pushy parents, we discovered things for ourselves at our own pace. Reading was a way of life in my family. During summer holidays, I lazed around in an easy-chair or under the shade of a mango tree and devoured books and mangoes! I plunged into fiction and non fiction with the same gusto as I delved into the luscious mango pulp. As it trickled down by arms, in a delta of mango yellow rivulets, I’d blot it with a swipe of my tongue before I lost myself in the wonders of the written word…
In those days… the Internet was unheard of. Therefore, any information we stumbled on, was precious. The act of discovery was as valuable as the discovery itself. For example, when I got the address of one of my favourite writers A.J. Cronin, who lived in Switzerland, I was as joyous as an astronomer who discovers a new planet!
In those days… books were too expensive to be bought across the counter. Our access to the world of books was through the lending libraries, of which there was one on almost every road! Every Friday I trudged along to the library to plunge headlong into what was sheer weekend magic!
In those days… All India Radio was the only source of news. I was mesmerized by the incomparable Melville De Mellow read the news and awe struck when my uncle told me that he was the voice behind the live commentary of Mahatma Gandhi’s funeral. I spent hours listening to my favourite radio programmes—Vividh Bharati and Radio Ceylon. The golden voice of radio comperes Hamid Sayani and Ameen Sayani and their famous Bournvita Quiz Contest still linger in my memory… I remember opening the Binaca toothpaste gleefully to grab the animal charm hidden inside. What an animal farm I had: a miniature rubber menagerie of reptiles, mammals, bird and fish!
In those days…. There were no TV channels. Doordarshan had just arrived and I recall watching my favourite old Hindi films screened on TV! As for Hollywood classics, Kollywood and Bollywood releases, a trip to the movie hall was an event to look forward to!
In those days… my grandparents were alive. I read with my grandfather; listened to his stories. My grandmother’s cooking, especially her delicious milk sweet, is still alive in my taste buds… In those days… I wore a half-sari…. I dreamed of being a doctor… In those days… Chennai was Madras… Those were the days…
