KOCHI: It’s fascinating how small, simple things can put one on a DeLorean time machine zooming several years back in a jiffy.
Images of audio cassettes, Gold Spot soft drink, scented erasers, Choki Choki Choco Milk, Binaca toothpaste, baggy and boot-cut jeans, Solidaire TV sets, HMT watches, etc., are time capsules that keep popping up on social media these days.
Though many brands and products have withered and died, some of them have made a comeback. Reliance Industries, for instance, recently relaunched the iconic Campa Cola, betting big on the ‘90s kids’ nostalgia.
Casio made a cool style statement with its affordable Vintage Series that became a runaway hit. Similarly, Parle brought back Rola Cola candy, the Mahindra group relaunched Jawa and Yezdi motorcycles, and the Lambretta scooter is set for a comeback in an electric avatar in 2024.
The children of the ’80s-’90s era were arguably the ‘last generation’ who soaked in life without the big disruption of technology. And, most of them still cherish and reminisce the years that sped by. They hold nostalgia quite close to heart.
“Gulping down a glass of chilled Rasna, orange or mango flavour, after playing all day in the summer heat... that would be one of my fondest memories; I can still relish the taste,” smiles Karthik Suresh, TV host, and entrepreneur.
He also recalls treasuring Readers Digest and Balarama copies. “Cousins, who visited Kerala during school holidays, introduced me to other options. They used to bring a bundle of ‘Tinkle’ and ‘Chacha Chaudhary’; the latter is seldom found these days,” he says.
With the advent of electronic games, the iconic Brick game, Contra, and Super Mario became popular, adds Karthik. “And, how can one forget the Duck Hunt, where you shoot the moving duck? It was a magic moment when the player fired at the screen,” quips Karthik.
Gushing about the good-old Doordarshan, he adds: “As options to keep ourselves engaged were fewer, we developed an emotional connect with them. Also, we utilised, enjoyed whatever we had together and, as a result, memories are stronger, reminding us of the closeness we shared.”
Talking of nostalgia, media professional Anita K, 42, scratches her head to recall the name of a medical syrup that she relished as a schoolgirl. “Ah, Waterbury’s Compound!” she exclaims. “It was so sweet. We used to wait to have a taste of it.”
She also recalls the ‘zing thing’ ad of the Indian soft drink ‘Gold Spot’ with the same excitement. “It was such a hit -- a must-have during outings. The drink was popular for the printed images of cartoon characters and celebrities on its cap. We used to collect and exchange the caps with others,” she says.
For filmmaker Shine B S, Thrill, Crush, Citra, and Canada Dry are the top picks among old soft drinks. “When it comes to booze, Black Label ‘Kalyani beer’ was the topper for many,” he chuckles, quickly adding that “alcohol consumption is injurious to health”.
Shine recalls some popular bathing soaps as well — Tata’s OK, Ponds, Vigil, Lifebuoy, and Cinthol. “I still remember keeping the wrapper of red Cinthol in my books for its fragrance,” he adds.
For social media manager Swetha Kurian, 30, it was candies over gum. “Aladdin Ka Hazan — a Re 1 candy pack. My sister and I used to buy this, mainly because of the gifts that came along with it, either a tattoo, chain, or ring,” she says. “We used to collect them and exchange pieces with each other.”
In the case of Vinu Michael, WWF trump cards, the Nirma ad, and Archies comics are nostalgia triggers. “Those were simpler times. Life sped by so fast, and the adult phase isn’t as fun as how we expected it to be in childhood,” laughs the 25-year-old, who works in an auditing firm.
Geetmala to Charminar
Though Dr Forhan’s toothpaste had a lot of takers, it was Binaca that topped the list, thanks to the ‘Binaca Geetmala’ programme, hosted by Ameen Sayani, that used to be aired on All India Radio.
“Binaca toothpaste came with a beautiful plastic animal, as kids we used to squeeze out the toothpaste so that we would get another goodie with a new toothpaste,” says Suman Sreedharan, a 62-year-old entrepreneur.
Suman has golden memories of Charminar cigarettes, too. “There was a system of graduating — first attempts were with Kaja beedi, then came Charminar,” he quips. (Smoking is injurious to health.)
Rise of technology
For Nidhi Sebastian, an RJ with a Malayalam FM channel, a nostalgia trip takes her to places that sold audio cassettes and CDs, which was the ‘in thing’ in the ‘90s. “They were the ‘vibe’ places of those days,” she says.
“My father had a cassette collection that included classics, from Vayalar and Baburaj songs to hits of Boney M and Abba. Listening to the songs was part of our morning routine.” Then came the trend of “writing CDs”. “The term takes me back to school annual days and those endless dance practice sessions,” says Nidhi.
Shiji Abraham, an HR professional, also grew up during a time when cassettes and CDs were major sources of entertainment. “I still recall how we used to record songs that were played on the radio,” she says. “Later, as VCRs entered, we used to rent video cassettes; the excitement was similar to going for a cinema outing. Memories of everyone coming together while playing a film on TV remain close to my heart.”
Music buff and vinyl record collector Sujith G Ponoth has similar memories of buying Rs 500 CD of the music band Pearl Jam. “It was at Pioneer Tower in Ernakulam. Though we didn’t have a CD player, owning a CD was a big deal! I remember cleaning my father’s car for a month for pocket money to buy one,” laughs Sujith. “The posters and lyrics sheet that came with such CDs were part of my treasure trove.”
Sreejith Nair C S, a 31-year-old techie, remembers the rise of mobile handsets such as Nokia 3310 like yesterday. “Secretly texting one’s crush was an expensive affair back then — it cost Rs 3 per SMS,” he says. “Browsing at internet cafes at Rs 15 per hour, using Orkut, and scratching recharge coupons using coins instead of fingers due to the fear that it would cause ‘cancer’ are memories from that era.”
Vintage beauties
‘Timekeeper to the Nation’ still has a lot of fans around. One of them is Dr Tiji Mathew Thomas, who has over 600 HMT pieces. “Back in those days, smuggled Swiss watches were available in the country but it costs Rs 400 for one. Whereas HMT started at just Rs 99,” he recalls. “Even now, models like Janata and Pilot are still very popular.”
Talking of old masterpieces, Salman M, secretary of the Team Eranad group that collects vintage vehicles, says “vintage beauties” have a huge demand. “People aged between 20 and 80 are active in our group,” he adds. “Jawa, Yezdi, Vespa, Vijay Super, and Lambretta... they all are popular. We go for long road trips on them.”
When it comes to cars, the beloved Amby or Ambassador, Premier Padmini, Willys Jeep are cult classics, he adds.