Guest Column: Simple Chandigarh mornings during early 80s

There was the time when the milk and bread sellers forced their entry into the mohallas, hollering whistles; soon after the noisy milk vendors exited, cycle-borne balloons and toy sellers had their turn. Bangle and cheap cosmetics sellers followed

The people of Chandigarh lived simple yet peaceful lives in the early eighties. With a major chunk of residents belonging to the middle class, the means were limited, but peace and joy were in abundance. While the working days had the monotony of their own, Sundays came with a sense of relaxation.

As the sun rose slightly higher above the eastern end of Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh would come alive. (HT File)

As the sun rose slightly higher above the eastern end of Sukhna Lake, the city would come alive. Charpoys spread out in the open in front of the homes with mosquito nets erected all over them was not uncommon in those days. Groggy-faced men in vests and pyjamas, many chewing datun, took to the small broken roads for a little stroll. As the day grew brighter, the atmosphere used to get somewhat noisy with the mixed voices of men, women and crying kids.

It was the time when the milk and bread sellers forced their entry into the mohallas, hollering whistles. Women, with undone hair, hung around the vendors to buy the daily quota. Soon after the noisy milk vendors exited, cycle-borne balloons and toy sellers had their turn. Bangle and cheap cosmetics sellers followed soon after. Ice cream rehris had to wait till the lazy afternoons.

The fragrance of dalda ghee being smeared on paranthas emanating from almost all homes marked the late mornings. LPG being an unheard thing then, small kerosene stoves ruled the kitchens. After the simple breakfast session was over, the womenfolk took to washing clothes.

Groups of women were seen walking, buckets in their hands, to the Industrial Area to fetch used detergent water from the factories. The men, meanwhile, had their own plans for Sundays like minor repair works of broken tables, radios and cycles etc. Many babus, as they were fondly called, were seen shining their prized cycles and making them ready for the next day.

Houses would soon have washed clothes wrung and hung on all cords and wires outside, even on the parked cycles. The innocent sports like kho-kho, pithoo garam and marbles marked the joy of childhood back then. Gully cricket gained ground only after India’s triumph at the ’83 World Cup.

The scenario changed somewhat after television made entry into the middle class homes during the mid-eighties. Many routines got replaced and shows like Paying Guest, Choti Badi Baatein, Star Trek made their way into the drawing rooms of our homes.

Time saw Chandigarh foray into a new era, but, with that the simplicity and innocence of the times faded out gradually.

The writer is a Chandigarh-based doctor.

wordketchup@gmail.com