One of my favourite quotes is as follows:
Be simple maiden, for simplicity has charm
Which neither a friend can steal, nor a foe can harm
Watching old Indian movies makes me nostalgic of childhood - of simpler times. Life didnt seem this complicated back then. The father worked, the mother raised children, the children went to school, the family ate dinner together and tv watching was restricted. Every weekend didnt have to be special - people were happy to spend time at home or socialize with friends and relatives. Sunday specials were simple things like a different dish at lunch, the tv shows like Ramayan, Mahabharat, He Man, Barba Pappa or the regional movie on Doordarshan at 1.30 pm.
Everyone knew that good things in life were attainable ; and that patient waiting combined with hard work would pay off. Watching movies at the theatre, eating out at restaurants and eating cakes were celebrations on special occassions like birthdays and anniversaries. Remember the thrill of being gifted with a five-star bar?
Today, doing these would be considered 'normal' at best. Everything from weekday evening activities to weekends and vacations have to be exotic, superlative or extraordinary. Just observing movies, tv serials, music and news today will reveal the extent of 'hype' about everything in the world now. Actors are overdressed and over made up, locations are exotic and mostly foreign and ostentatious, music remixed so it can be played in discotheques and news revolves around celebrities. Letters are replaced by emails and greeting cards by e-cards, phone calls by sms s. Is there any kid who will be happy receiving just a five-star bar as a birthday gift?
Yet, change is inevitable and we must go with the flow. Every individual can now express himself; and as Thomas Friedman says - the world is flat. Opportunities are beyond imagination and connectivity couldnt get better. One still has a choice in what they embrace and imbibe.
In my own little way, I want to archive memories and collections of our times - for I dont know if our next generation will experience them firsthand.
Here are some cherishable memories -
The Rasna girl
Cadbury's gems
Plain yellow post cards
Inland letters
Mile sur mera tumhara
Black and white television
Television without commercial breaks
Karamchand
Maggi's original masala flavour
Street cat bicycles
Renting VCRs and video casettes
Walking to the milk booth to buy token milk
5 comments:
Its a joy to read you! And its a gr8 topic to start with. To critique: I wish lot more was there to read. Yet there was enough to say that I feel pretty much the same way.
I was fascinated by the gramphones with its turntables of old-times, yet the colored mini-LCD display of present day i-pods are equally breathtaking.
What I probably find that has changed is the "pace of life" - and no more can a sunday be an ordinary day spent at home!
The needs never seem to end!!
Consume, consume seems to be the mantra..
Good JOB Poorvi !
They may be the simple and small things of life but they are the foundations for everything right from strong family to jobs, which may never be noticed until the time is right that's when you know the value and understand what matters most in life.
It’s the way you are raised, the healthy environment that matters finally.
Yes, it’s the pace of life that has changed finally for sure.
Keep up!
Sheela
This makes me nostalgic...remember other early TV shows like 'Quiz Show' with Basu Chatterjee (I think that was his name)...I remember that cake ice-cream from Dasprakash was such a treat on Sundays! Cute blog :)
That quiz show guy for "Quiz Time" was "Siddharth Basu", Basu Chatterjee is a Film Director
as said already...simple but inriguing....really damn sweet...
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