Nostalgic Tales

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...

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 ...

A conversation about smart fridges led us down memory lane—into Doordarshan days, superhero capes, and love letters. Here’s how one moment of tech talk turned into a full-blown nostalgia trip… Illustration: A smart fridge meets Shaktimaan in a time-traveling tribute to tech and nostalgia Teleportation may not be real yet, but conversations? They go places – fast. It all began with a colleague asking if my new refrigerator was installed. Another one chimed in, saying her son had read about fridges that interact with users—warning them before running out of stock. None of us had seen one yet, but we nodded in agreement. With AI and APIs evolving, it's no longer impossible. A refrigerator might soon do more than just cool and store—it could even place orders for restocking. That’s how rapidly Artificial Intelligence is changing our world. We can only imagine, as far as our imagination can stretch, what the future might look like. I said, “We’ll see things we can’t even ima...