Weekends – Now & Then

A nostalgic time travel into my past days..

When I casually ask some folks in Sobha Palladian – 'what is the plan for the week end?', most times I get an indifferent shrug: ‘nothing planned’  and/or a variation of ‘visiting my parents/ in-laws place, School PTA meeting, a variety of classes for the kids, 'catching up on mails and work’ or just plain laze. Sadly we do not have any more 5-day test matches spilling over the weekends.

And I know that a few folks  from the august college of wise men and women would be would be busy discussing Palladian MC affairs seriously.

A four-day weekend would be received with a lot more enthusiasm & excitement. It meant a long drive and a short 2-night 3-day vacation!  And unless your child was appearing for the boards and they were few months away, every holiday on a Tuesday or Thursday meant  a long enjoyable 4 day weekend.

In my times, in1980s, I never had that luxury.

For 2 reasons.  My grandparents lived with us and we took care of them.
And for my second hand car, a long drive meant 4 hrs, 40 kms max!

I had bought a 1956 model second hand Fiat 1100. A pale blue colored beauty with a petite bumsy.  The dicky (boot) was small with well rounded edges somewhat like VW Beetle. The front doors opened from dashboard side and it housed a powerful 1100cc engine. If a driver heard her approach from behind he would often mistake her for a large vehicle or a truck, and give  a huge clearance and I would happily zip past. 
And that was the only good part about her.

Edging 30 yrs, the old lady was a challenge to drive. Many times, she would give up right in front of a traffic light crossing.  Orey Shandi pannum (obstinate Donkey).  
Jayanthi can recall the number of painful times she and the helpful traffic signal cops had to push her to the road side. I have had her side gear handle dislocate and come out in my left hand. (Older cars had gear shift handles attached under the steering wheel unlike the present-day floor shift gears). And once the front wheel just rolled off while turning into a Greater Kailash (New Delhi) lane (no kidding).

Weekend meant fixing my car – cleaning upholstery, cleaning the oil-based air filters, cleaning petrol and air jet nozzles, sandpaper spark plugs, fill radiator water, measure oil level with a dipstick and top up engine oil, grease the hinges, door locks and all creaking components. And patiently tune the petrol nozzle and   the air jet alternatively to get that perfect 'purring' sound!!  And if i were to open the bonnet of my car today, i will mot even know where is the carburetor

Coming to think of it, after I got my first Maruti 800 in 1989, I have never done any of the above!! 
And after employing  a driver , its been ages since i have opened the bonnet of my car and peered inside!!

Weekends in Delhi winter meant India Gate/ Appu Ghar and Pragati Maidaan. Play frisbee and eat gaajar, mooli and moogfali, revdi & gazak on the India Gate lawns, ride Columbus & Cindrella at Appughar and browse thru hundreds of Russian and Chinese books at the Pragati Maidan halls during book exhibitions.

Weekends in Bangalore also meant browsing books at the frequently held book fairs at Airlines hotel, & Institution of Engineers hall.

Feeding the young fawns in Lalbagh with cucumber and carrots, a movie at Galaxy or Rex, drive by Kids Kemp at the corner of MG Road near Trinity Circle, for a mandatory handshake with Mickey & Goofy!!

Also a visit to  the VIdhana Soudha lawns, eat Bhutta & Chaat sitting on the steps of the great building and on the way back, a stop at Kanti Sweets on the Brigade road (ext.) for a rasmalai!!

Weekend also meant the idiot box.

TV viewing was the 'in' thing and a fashion statement.  And our TV occupied the prime spot in our living room. A huge box draped with a fancy/embroidered cloth and a flower vase on top.

Doordarshan monopolized the Indian small screen. 
Chitrahaar (Friday evenings prime time) &  Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan literally trapped 100s of millions of eyeballs.

Ramayana & Mahabharat brought the entire country to a grinding halt every Sunday morning and ran a massive 180 episodes combined – that is three years+++!

Weekends in Vellore (during our summer vacation) was another story. You need to sit in a time machine and rewind back 53 years!

A non-negotiable oil bath (enna thadavi kullipattal) early morning left you sticky and irritable throughout the day. And with our strict Thatha (granddad) at home & terrorizing us, Sundays were dull and uneventful.  Only consolation was Patti making payasam and something special for thatha which was generously doled out to us as well. 

Compare my Thaha with today’s benign ever indulging grand dads who endure each & every paduthal (trouble/mischief) with a loving smile, I must admit that  today’s kids are thrice blessed!!

Weekends also meant mandatory temple (kovil) visit and special pooja/archanai (a desperate attempt to beat in some goodness & brains into our heads) .

Sometimes mom would decide to go shopping.

It was a big affair and meant a full day expedition.

Marimuthu’s maatu vandi (bullock cart) would come early morning. The floor of the Koondu Vandi (closed tnatched roof cart) would be set with a thick bed of yellow straw covered with a koni (gunny bag). All of us had to squat on it, sweat away as the slow ambling Bhima, the sad and mal-nourished bull took ages to reach Ramanathan Iyer street – the ‘gold souk’ in Vellore. 

While mom shopped, we got treated to Paal-katti ice (a frozen bar of sweetened milk) and Kannan’s orange goli soda, a unique soda bottle that was sealed by a black glass marble at the top. The latter was submerged in  water held in wide wooden vats to keep it cool.

On the way back, a routine stop at Indra café (the swankiest restaurant then) for  plate of hot badam halva and a glass of rose milk.

A wonderful week end all in all – and so much different for today’s mall hopping  and screaming games parlor !!

Krish..