DAHISAR’S CHILDHOOD
Please click the link https://prosenpoems30.blogspot.com/2021/05/History-of-Dahisar.html to read my Article on Dahisar in this blog " Dahisar & Me Grew Together" published on 26 May, 2021
Recently I was in
a big Department Store. I was amazed to see a section/rack full of various
varieties of salt brands in multiple flavours. As I looked around I saw every
item had varied brands & variants. I was amazed how times have changed
during my lifetime. These images sent me back to my childhood days when we had
very limited choice of products & its variants.
In those time, there was no refined powdered salt. Sea Salt was in form of flakes. Salt was not sold for cash but doled out as complimentary when grocery was purchased from the shop. Grocers kept salt outside the shop in gunny bags. Those were the times when salt, sea salt flakes not refined salt, was given away free by grocers to their regular customers. Many a times we didn’t have money to buy groceries but salt was necessary. We could buy bare minimum items so that we could get some salt from the grocer.
Click the link for all Articles & Poems on https://prosenpoems30.blogspot.com
This was Dahisar, an entry point suburban village of Mumbai, in 1960’s. Those were Golden Days. We lived within our means. Income dictated our wants. Basic needs were utmost priority. Satisfying wants from loans was a taboo. We had very limited choices & options in terms of variety of products. Even from that what we could afford within our income, after fulfilling basic needs, was what we got. Hard work from all able family members, shrewd budgeting of family income & savings were the mantra for growth. All these constraints didn’t dampen our spirit but strengthened the bond of togetherness, sharing, caring, & happiness.
They were hard times but the best of our formative years. Demands were made but tantrums were not entertained. Our day would be full of fun, games & enjoyment. Even a small toy, gift, sweets or ice cream would give us immense joy which would linger in our senses for long. Festivals & special occasions were celebrated with gusto with family, friends & neighbours with homemade savouries. Together we enjoyed every moment to the fullest. In spite of all the hardship we still remember with nostalgia our fun filled time & have fond memories of those Golden days.
Click the link below to read Pictorial Book of Poems "MOOD N MUSINGS" in Prose n Poems https://prosenpoems30.blogspot.com/search/label/MOODS%2
Getting 5/10 paise to spend was a luxury. Our pocket money was always in coins & never in currency notes . Buying orange, lemon, mint toffees, Roasted grams, peanuts & some snacks outside school was all we could afford & had access to buy. Our other source of money was collecting metal, aluminium scrap & extracting brass from discarded wires. These items we would barter in exchange for toast/khari/nankhatai & other bakery products from vendor who would come with a big metal box atop his head.
School & studies was never a tension. There was no pressure of performance & scoring high marks. Most of our free time was spent playing outdoor games. Flying kites & playing various indigenous Indian games helped us physically, mentally & also improved our reflexes. Only after dark we would come home. We never had fancy school bags. Normally we had homemade school bags stitched from old bed sheet, curtain cloth or torn pants. To have an aluminium bag was a rarity.
With great difficulty we were able to pay school fees. To keep our school dress, shoes & socks presentable was a big challenge. School dress was stitched a size bigger so that we should not outgrow the dress in a year. The other plan behind the school dress or any dress was that it will be worn by the younger sibling when we outgrow the dress.
As resources & income was limited we had to stretch the utility of an item to the last limit. Old full pants were cut to be used as short pants by children. Old torn bed sheets & curtains were made into school bags & carry/grocery bags. Whatever was left, even after changing to new item, was utilised as kitchen cloth, mop & to cover eatables & other utility items like transistors, machines, etc.
We had developed knack of finding ways to enjoy every trying situation. We had common toilets outside in the compound. The toilet cabins were much above the ground. There was no outlet pipe attached to the toilet seat. Our droppings would directly fall in the open septic tank below. The tank was very shallow & pigs would wallow in it. The fun part was when we would sit for doing our bit, the pig below would wait in anticipation with open mouth to catch our droppings mid-air. There was no need of scavengers. Nature took care of cleaning of our waste as it served as food for various form of creatures.
We could not hire bicycles to ride but we got old cycle tyres to play drive with sticks. Standing in Ration, Milk, Water, Kerosene, etc., queues was a major part of our childhood duties. It was a major irritant to our playing schedule. Many a times we had to stand in queue for hours till our turn came. This also we turned into an opportunity & formed a group to play while marking & reserving our place in the queue by keeping an object like carry bag, kerosene can, milk bottle or a stone.
Matches were played in uneven potted rice fields but tarred main road & gullies were our practice playing grounds because it was levelled & there were no vehicles in those times to disturb our game. Arrival of train would bring some movement on the roads. Flying kites & playing with various easily available objects like bottle caps, empty cigarette packs n match boxes & other physical activity games like lagori, hide n seek, iron rod, gilli danda & many many more games were instrumental in building our immunity, strength & character to face hardships of a struggling life.
Sleeping on the terrace under the skies gazing at twinkling stars was a pleasure. From late evening onwards we would lay our mattresses so that by the time we went to bed the mattress would be cool & slightly damp from the night dew. Mostly we cousins could sleep on the terrace. Before sleeping we would play a lot & when exhausted would go to sleep.
We were a joint family consisting of grandparents, 2 uncles, their children & my family. Our house was a part of a rented bungalow. Officially we owned a big room with kitchen & a bathroom but we also occupied the passage, space below the staircase leading to the terrace & also the passage connecting the two terraces. It also meant that we had control of both the terraces.
Now we have grown in age as well as economically. From cramped 8ft. by 10ft. rented room we have progressed to individually own spacious houses of our own. Space we gained in life gave space to personal ambition & self-interest. As we progressed the familial bond between us started weakening. Faith in each other is missing. Now we may seem to have more than what we had but we have lost the feeling of sheer ecstasy/joy we felt from small small things.
Pleasure of buying an expensive mobile/tv/car/game or enjoying an expensive exotic holiday is not as deeply felt & lasting as it was when on occasions we had an ice cream/cold drink or when we bought a small transistor. The taste of the ice cream would linger in our senses & we would savour every moment of eating it as we bragged about it to our friends. Today even the most expensive gadget or gift gives a momentary joy till craving for a better option overtakes it.
In
childhood we were carefree towards our hardship but were responsible towards
our duties & obligations. These qualities have helped us to face life
stoically. Evening session with friends was a great stress buster & very
rejuvenating. Fanciest or the most expensive of gadgets cannot replace the
value of friends. I & most of our generation still wistfully remember those
old days which has taught us to be resilient & strong to face any
challenging situation with grit & determination.
Click the link below to read Pictorial Book of Poems "MOOD N MUSINGS" in Prose n Poems https://prosenpoems30.blogspot.com/search/label/MOODS%2
