Once upon a time, I lived in a city called Bangalore, which is now renamed as Bengaluru.I was born and brought up in this city of Bangalore.People used to call it by different names, Garden city, pensioners paradise etc. As kids, we played on roads with our friends till it was so dark, that we could not see each other and then come home.The roads were just roads, no underpass, no magic box, no flyovers just plain old fashioned roads.Most of the roads were lined with huge Rain trees which provided shade to the entire road sometimes.Sparrows were common and would visit us in our courtyards everyday.
By the way, we dint have a single mall in our city back then.We shopped at our neighborhood grocery shop.The shop keeper knew our family as well.So when we want to the shop and asked for coffee powder, he would give us our brand.Every month on the 1st we would make a huge list of groceries and give it to the shop keeper to be delivered at our door step by the day end.We knew almost everybody in the neighborhood.We knew their families, their aunts, uncles practically entire history of the families in our neighborhood.
We had very few theaters and movie watching was probably once or twice in a year affair.In the morning, some of us would go and stand in the queue at about 9am, ticket window would be open by 10.30am, we would buy the tickets and come back home and then go to the movie at 4pm, with entire family in the evening.The movie would be implanted in our memories for so long, bcoz of all the troubles we took to watch a movie.Now with the age of Internet, multiplexes, tele booking, the fun in watching a movie is gone.We had only DD1 in our T.V, and would wait with baited breath for Superman series, Laurel and Hardy, Vikram Aur Baitaal.I can still sing Vikram Aur Baitaal title song.
Our schools were close by and we would walk to school with our friends.Our teachers knew us personally and going to school was so much fun when fees was nominal, homework minimal, and cultural activities maximal :) .(Just wanted to rhyme).We went to flour mills with our grandparents to help them,get wheat, rice flour.Stood in long queues in Ration shop, to get ration with our parents.Played with maids children, without being scolded by parents.Our parents, dint know, what were traffic jams, stress, tension and had 9 to 5 jobs.
Those were the days my friend.......
I wish,somehow all that comes back again.My daughter and son get to experience my long last good old city again.
By the way, we dint have a single mall in our city back then.We shopped at our neighborhood grocery shop.The shop keeper knew our family as well.So when we want to the shop and asked for coffee powder, he would give us our brand.Every month on the 1st we would make a huge list of groceries and give it to the shop keeper to be delivered at our door step by the day end.We knew almost everybody in the neighborhood.We knew their families, their aunts, uncles practically entire history of the families in our neighborhood.
We had very few theaters and movie watching was probably once or twice in a year affair.In the morning, some of us would go and stand in the queue at about 9am, ticket window would be open by 10.30am, we would buy the tickets and come back home and then go to the movie at 4pm, with entire family in the evening.The movie would be implanted in our memories for so long, bcoz of all the troubles we took to watch a movie.Now with the age of Internet, multiplexes, tele booking, the fun in watching a movie is gone.We had only DD1 in our T.V, and would wait with baited breath for Superman series, Laurel and Hardy, Vikram Aur Baitaal.I can still sing Vikram Aur Baitaal title song.
Our schools were close by and we would walk to school with our friends.Our teachers knew us personally and going to school was so much fun when fees was nominal, homework minimal, and cultural activities maximal :) .(Just wanted to rhyme).We went to flour mills with our grandparents to help them,get wheat, rice flour.Stood in long queues in Ration shop, to get ration with our parents.Played with maids children, without being scolded by parents.Our parents, dint know, what were traffic jams, stress, tension and had 9 to 5 jobs.
Those were the days my friend.......
I wish,somehow all that comes back again.My daughter and son get to experience my long last good old city again.
You make me feel sooooo nostalgic about our city..... But unfortunately those days will never comeback....
ReplyDelete@ Sum,
ReplyDeleteHowdu suma, those days will never comeback.Just see how that National collage basavangudi, malleshwaram areas have undergone change.
Awwww... I long for those uncomplicated simple days!
ReplyDeleteI have a son now and I wish he had what I had!
Hi Musica,
ReplyDeleteCame here from CA and loved this post - I can so completely relate to you here - born and broughtup in Blore - me too :-) And I also now have an 18month old and how I wish he could get those carefree evenings and those streets lined with green trees...
And I feel so sorry for all those trees that are felled for the metro work on the Nanda/southend road...
@RS
ReplyDeleteTrue, now the Sampige road, can be renamed as Mantri Mall road, even the Sankey tanks trees will be gone. too bad isnt it, that our kids will never know the Bangalore in which we grew up.