The ByGone Era

In the past few years , lets say 8 years few things have gone extinct .Better technology or a better form of service has substituted them. Lets recollect all memories and go back in time.

1.The Antenna-  Remember that Silver rod with quite a few  aluminum rods arranged in a horizontal manner ,that would be put at the highest point on the terrace to get the best signal.Its been replaced by those good looking, sophisticated DTH antennas.We no more rush to the terrace to make adjustments to the position of the antenna to get the best signal and neither do we  reciprocate by a shout to the person monitoring the picture on the TV!

2. The Postman - Well I thoroughly miss this one person clad in khaki color uniform riding his hero cycle , and ringing the bell. Those summer afternoons when my mom would wait for a telegram from her father and I would wait for letters( yes, I had this ritual of writing letters to few people)  from few people and pen friends, did you have a pen-friend??? He has been replaced by courier boys who zip fast on their motorbikes . Few days back I saw a postman,same khaki uniform , and the very same hero cycle- how I wised he had a letter for me!

3. Walkman/Cassettes : I remember those days when we would collect audio cassettes of Enrique , Backstreet boys , Sonu Nigam and compare the collection with Our Cousins, friends. Walkman was the most handy thing and avidly shared while on trips and tournaments. The Ipods, MP3 players, Cds, memory card  have replaced them completely. I still have the machine though :)

4.The Radio : My grandfather's proud possession was a Black,ugly looking box that he would tune at set hours in a day, to hear the news mostly. Everyone would sit around and listen patiently to the news and later on the songs. The stores still have radio Sets but our phones are equipped with the same  facility making it more convenient. But given a chance would you still buy one??

5.Roll film Camera -  Remember that old camera with a film roll that would take 60 pictures and we would eagerly wait for the roll to finish and see the photographs. Unaware of the fact how the photo will turn out to be , the button would be clicked with a long wait for final photographs. The digital cameras have made it easier now and cost effective as well.There is no more waiting and no more disspointement over bad photgraphs which couldnt be undone earlier!

6.Comics: We all have read the Indian Comics titled Chacha choudhary, Nagraj, Billu, Champak etc and the English ones that of Tintin, Archies . " Graphic Novels" is what they call nowadays ,our old comics are nowhere in comparison but given a chance I would still choose Chacha Choudhry over the latest graphic Novel.

7. Video Games: Summers would be spent pleading our parents to buy the latest cassette, or renting out one , those afternoons playing Mario or Pacman with your sibling,cousin ,friend would make us forget the exams,the homework and even food.  We can still find those games but its more of PC games and Consoles!

8.The earthen Pot ( Matki) - Its available in the market but the Urban crowd prefers Aqua-guard and Filters, earthen pots were used to keep the water cold , the most cost effective and healthy way . Do you remember the taste of that water?? it was without a doubt better and satisfying then the filtered water!!

9.Mosquito nets: Every night  before going to bed the net would be opened ,checked for mosquito's and spread over to cover the bed , tucking it away in the morning was the first task to be ordered. More advanced ways of All-out and Goodnight that promise mosquito free nights are the means nowadays to fight those enemies.

The new and advanced technology has definitely made our lives comfortable , but the fact that we lived through that Era where alll these things were used is worth treasuring. We ll never remember the Ipods, Xbox, courier boys etc but we ll always treasure getting a letter from the Postman, a glass of water from the Matki and all those photographs with a negative, put together in  Photo albums now.

How many more things do You remember??? Don't forget to mention in the comment Box!

Chikmagalur - Where I Fell in Love

I am just back from a beautiful- relaxing  trip to chikmagalur. For those who don't know chikmagalur is a small town in Karnataka famous for its coffee plantation and Pepper. Chikmagalur got its name from "Chikkamagala Uru" which means Younger daughter's town, it was given away as dowry to the King Rukmangada younger daughter.
The booked place was Cochin -Munnar in Kerala but thanks to the landslides and monsoon all the routes were blocked and my belief of " Planning never works" got even more stronger. Chikmagalur has always been on the list but it never happened and when I didn't think of it ,I was en-route  this place. Here is  something I scribbled on a piece of paper I borrowed.

Its 10 pm in the night and as I sit on this swinging cane chair and try to locate some stars in the otherwise cloudy sky I am forced to compare my city Life Vs Life here.There is no network, that brings a big smile, no calls from dad/mom, office/ tele-callers etc hence the machine has been dumped away somewhere

We  are staying  in a Home-stay , the family has been warm and welcoming , Husband- Wife and their 2 son, the owner/Uncle of the home-stay tells me he owns a coffee estate,a nursery and now this home stay and he easily makes 20lakhs/Annum ,which is clearly a good amount for such a small town with no sky soaring cost of living expenses.
The landlady is a simple woman, a housewife and a doting hostess,she is always busy cooking, looking after the plants, talking to the people staying in the home-stay, though her mother tongue is kannada and I am just a beginner  I could still communicate with her .Out of curiosity I ask her if she ever visits Bangalore, in reply she says " Bangalore is crowded, I went there last year, I don't feel at home.
I like it here, this is home."
After we finish our dinner I ask her if she had food, she says" I am waiting for my husband and kids, we ll have it together",its no big deal but I don't get to  hear this
too often these days.
Its past 10 in the night and its pitch dark and extremely silent, I hear nothing except the sound of rain drops, the crickets and rustling of leaves.
The Kitchen light is still on and the helper "Lokesh" still seems to be working , he is the one who serves us the coffee and checks every few hours  if we need something ,his family stays an hour away , he only speaks kannada but somehow he tends to understand what we want and oblige each time we ask for something.

The day here typically starts with a knock on my door , few cups of hot steaming filter coffee( I dont drink tea or coffee so its a bigg Exception here ) , a mesmerizing view of the mullayanagiri range , Dosa and coconut chutney in breakfast and the fact that I Can just sit and gaze at all the shades of green.Its just 10 am and there is nothing to do, NOTHING( And I cant stop smiling )


 I am back to my favorite place which is a cane chair in the big balcony , I am in love with this chair,the view and the comfort it gives me.I eat, read, sleep in it and still cant get enough.
The knock is heard again and its time to relish the rasam, rice , parantha , beetroot and my favorite "the Greenest and freshest "cucumbers I have ever eaten!  My friend and me engage in long discussion on life, beliefs, relationships, future till the time we both exhaust and doze off.
The day is spent catching some sleep which my body has been deprived of from a long long time.

The sky has changed color from orange to red with shades of blue and its time for long walks in unknown territory, we just keep walking and don't care about the directions , there is a kind of satisfaction in walking without maps or a guide in an unknown town . The award for those long walks is waiting for us as Our hostess serves us with Hot Onion Bhajji and the smell makes me forget the effort I put in the gym when in Bangalore. We hog on a plate full of it without any guilt .
Even before we could digest the bhajji ( pakoda) we know its dinner time and no we don't skip the meal, the cucumbers are served again with Rasam-Rice and a Dry vegetable, we eat till the time we finish everything on the table . The banana leaves are thrown away and I have mastered the art of using my hand to eat Rice-Rasam Combination!! 
Its just 9.30 in the night  and I am back to my favorite spot with a book in my hand.
The day ends here.

Life here is simple and different. Even if we try we cant have such a life in the city , the place, the people ,the equation changes totally  that's why  we crave for such retreats. It gives back the hope, the zest and the time to retrospect our lives and ourselves.

If I ever want to own a piece of land and if I ever could afford ,it would be here. Away from chaos, in the middle of nothing and everything . I never was fond of mountains , but this time I fell in Love , with the hills and Myself.

+Manisha Ramsisaria - Without you this trip wouldn't have happened, I still miss the long conversations , the walks and Your presence.