Nostalgia

Hello, hello. I've been planning to return to blogging, since quite some time. And somehow today, my instinct says 'go ahead'. So here goes:

Topic: Nostalgia:

There was a time when, for many of us :

-Gluco and Monaco represented biscuits.

-Ambassador and Fiat Padmini represented cars

-Campwala and Baroda City Bakery represented breads(all maida, and no ill effects..LOL)(Must have been similar in other cities)

-Coke and Fanta represented Cold Drinks( and Campa Cola on North side)

-DoorDarshan represented the solitary TV channel. All their programs would be ‘by heart’.

-Cinema halls represented the only means of watching movies. A visit to a 70 mm cinema was a major life changing experience. (First movie: Star Wars)

-Water meant the municipality water, filtered via a ‘chalni’, and poured into an earthen pot(or matka)

-In summer, cold water meant going to the nearby area, to buy ice blocks, to keep in an ice box, on 

top / side of which water bottles would be kept.

-Icecream meant either homemade, churned icecream(a once or twice a year event) or, ice cream of the softy type at  Samrat ice cream(In Baroda)

-Favourite radio program meant ‘Binaca, nee, Cibaca Geet Mala’ with Ameen Sayani every Wednesday at 8 PM. And, ‘other’ programs were Vividh Bharati- all on MW or SW bands.

-The elite also had EPs and LPs, to be played on a record player. A scratch on a record meant either a weird add-on sound or a particular line being played again and again till the needle was lifted and moved forward.

-Music player meant a mono tape recorder…the type which loved to eat those thin tapes in the cassettes every few days, leading to many a heartbreak. Buying a Sony Walkman was a dream, and those who had one would be an Object Of Envy.

-Salt meant plain white salt.

-Sugar meant plain white sugar

-Tea meant either Brooke Bond Red Label, or, in Baroda, Somabhai CTC 10 would be the hot(Pun intended) favourite.

-Coffee: Was nescafe, but naturally. Espresso was made at home, after mixing coffee and sugar et al for an hour or so while having tete-a-tetes with family or friends, with people taking turns to do the mixing.

-Toothpaste: Was Colgate, but of course.

-Magazines: were Illustrated Weekly of India, Filmfare, Femina, Film Mirror, and a couple of others.

-Newspapers: were Times of India , Indian express, and the local gujarati papers.

-Transport: meant local buses. An autorickshaw was for specific occasions. Taxis were only the ‘kaali-peeli’, for going from railway station to destination.

-Train travel meant ‘sleeper class’, and, carrying a ‘bistar bandh’ as it was called, that fat,  rolled up bedding, with a pillow, and a couple of things that didn’t fit in the suitcases, added to it, since sleeper class had wooden seats only.

What about you? Shareworthy memories? Please share.

Cheerio till next time. :)