Nostalgic Tales

The Bell Rang, and Life Began: Tiffin Breaks of Our School Days Tiffin intervals in school were not just time for a break from class and refueling energy by munching. In fact, it was the best time in the entire day at school. Not merely for refreshment, but in so many other ways. In my school, there was a five-minute refreshment break after two periods, followed by another two periods before breaking for tiffin. Starting our classes at 8, we relished the break at 11. As quiet and reserved a guy I was, I never joined the roar of excitement when the bell rang—though I was as excited as any other mate in my class. Weren’t we in a hurry to finish our tiffin? We did not want to compromise on the time left to engage in our favourite recreational activities. Multiple matches with no winners There were numerous creases for batting, with the burflower tree (kadam) stem being the wickets. A single brick or stone would make the wicket at the bowling crease. A single bat was exchanged ...

Sweet and tangy memories cling to my fingers—the days when Alpenliebe, Kacha Mango Bite, and a shelf of wrappers formed our edible encyclopedia. Long before Kacha Mango Bite wore that green wrapper, Mango Bite came draped in yellow, curling only at the top. Do you remember? First Taste of Candies and Gums My earliest candy memories are a vibrant collage of Mango Bite — its iconic yellow wrapper curled only at the top, a distinct difference from the twisted ends of other sweets. Then there was the zesty Orange Candy, the intriguing wooden stick 'Imli' swaddled in shimmering golden plastic, and the savory Hajmola Candy. But the first chewing gum I ever encountered was 'Bubble Gum.' I recall my dad sharing a pack with a friend, remarking, "This is good. Kids chew toffees and always want more. But these gums, no matter how much you chew, they just don't finish!" I can still vividly picture the spot where this conversation unfolded. As the initial sweetness wan...

Rulers and Rubbers: A Stationery-Laden Childhood Natraj honed our tools, sketched our dreams and erased our mistakes. Camel carried our stuff and painted our little worlds. These are not mere brands for us, but a box containing memories of our innocent childhood. Last week I was at a stationery shop when I saw colourful erasers of different shapes. “Did you own any of these rubbers in school?” I asked my friend. “Nopes!” he answered. “Neither me,” I said. “I used the Natraj rubbers.” Those were the erasers we used in our early days — with their orange-yellow films that we preserved as long as we could, just to hold on to that "new" feeling. And Natraj pencil sharpeners ? We raced them like toy cars. A new Natraj pencil with golden tattoos on its black back brought us joy. Collecting the wooden petals after sharpening? Felt artistic! I looked through the transparent display at the shop, and noticed — most items were now from Doms . Their packaging is flashy and co...

Doga was our Deadpool . Super Commando Dhruv? Captain America, may be.  We had our own superhero universe — long before we knew what a cinematic universe even meant. The Day I Met Doga I first saw Doga at my best friend’s house. That comic book instantly clicked with me. A foul-mouthed, rogue superhero with a muscular physique, a dog-like mask (which I honestly thought was his real face at first), and a full-blown gun arsenal — it was the first of its kind I had ever seen. He could talk to dogs. He didn’t take orders from anyone. And he always fought back. That wild, raw spirit appealed to my emotions deeply. When I got my own copy of Doga, there was no limit to my excitement. As soon as I got home, I devoured it — every panel, every letter, every drop of ink. It may have been the first book I ever completed reading — cover to cover. Enter: The Raj Comics Universe On the back cover, and even inside, I saw teasers — a whole universe of superheroes! Raj Comics ...

I remembered those old days when I used to prepare for exams. Because I recently appeared for one. I know I owe you an apology for being absent from Nostalgic Tales for a while — so please accept it! First Exam Was a Terrible Experience In Nursery, exams were mostly oral. We might have written some letters, words, and numbers, but that was it. Even in KG, we answered questions directly on the paper. So when I appeared for my first real exam in Standard I, I wrote all my answers right on the question paper itself. I still don’t know where I missed the instructions, and I’m not sure how the invigilators didn’t catch it sooner. Time was almost up when my uncle — who was on exam duty — came down my row to collect copies. Seeing me handing over the question paper, he froze, torn between panic and disbelief. He asked me to copy everything down on the answer sheet, and I started copying my answers at lightning speed. I’m not sure I finished, but it was enough to pass. That first e...

“We were excited without a clue we were standing at the beginning of a revolution.” I was in sixth standard when we got our first computer lab at school. We removed our shoes outside the lab without knowing that one day, we’d be stepping into a portal that would change the world. Back then, I thought the virus people warned about was the same one that gave me a cold. It didn’t take long to realize I was more serious about the computer’s health than my own. My best friend was the first among us to get a PC at home. That’s where I first heard The Summer of ‘69 . He also played Aap Ki Kashish . We didn’t know it then, but those speakers were ushering us into the age of digital intimacy. Logging On, Growing Up By the time I reached 11th standard, I had moved to Jharkhand. And yes, the computer lab became my go-to spot for impressing girls. That’s when I created my first Yahoo account and signed up for Orkut . Believe it or not—I still have access to that Yahoo inbox. I j...