Chronicles of a Demented Mind

Namma Kaaladalli, a Kannada phrase, literally translated to ‘during our times’ is a phrase that we use to talk about the good old days, especially in Bangalore where most of us have grown up…

When I was thinking about my childhood days in Basavanagudi, a fairly conservative area in South Bangalore, I can’t help but marvel at how much the city has changed over the years… from a sleepy city which was a pensioner’s haven, to a bustling, crowded metropolis with a huge population

• Namma kaaladalli, going shopping meant going to a few shops in Gandhi Bazaar, Jayanagar Shopping complex (4th Block) or if you’re adventurous to Commercial Street
• Namma kaaladalli, an extravagant dinner would be traveling all the way to MG Road from Basavanagudi and eating in Tandoor
• Namma kaaladalli, watching an English movie cost 100 bucks including a Rs.25 ticket at Plaza, Symphony or Galaxy with a pop corn for 5 bucks and a burger at Indiana’s for 40 bucks
• Namma kaaladalli, the only thing you got to eat from a gaadi (cart) was Bhel Puri and Jola (corn cob)
• Namma kaaladalli, travelling to Indiranagar to visit a relative was an all day affair
• Namma kaaladalli, a weekend outing would be travelling to Cubbon Park, riding on the Putani Express and riding the amusement park rides there
• Namma kaaladalli, it would be a treat if dad agreed to buy the latest Michael Jackson casette which cost 75 bucks
• Namma kaaladalli, surfing the internet meant paying 75 bucks for half an hour with a free Cappuccino at Brigade Road coffee day. In that half hour, you could read your e-Mail from an uncle in ‘Foreign’ who was one of the few people in the family who had access to e-Mail and look at the pictures of Ferrari cars on their website
• Namma kaaladalli, a laptop was something that could be seen only with an uncle who was coming from ‘Foreign’
• Namma kaaladalli, a car was something that was owned by about 3 out of 15 families on the street
• Namma kaaladalli, video games had cartridges that looked like a video cassette and you could not ask for better graphics than Sonic in SEGA video games