MUSINGS from the SOFA
Signs of advancement of age is when you begin to reminisce about things of the past. So yesterday afternoon lounging on the sofa, looking at my house - a total disarray as I was in the throes of moving out of Dubai - selling, packing, throwing away things ...I looked fondly at the place where my music system was placed earlier, just sold it to a Pathan - Suleiman Bhai, my TV, music system and my microwave. India and Pakistan were in a dicey state now with wing commander Abhinandan awaiting his release, I was serving "Roohafsa" to Suleiman Bhai.
And the "thing" I was particularly remembering fondly was the cassettes, tape recorders and the walkman!
hah..what fond memories indeed.
My first tape recorder was a Philips make, (incidentally S Bhai took away another Phillips from me) initially I bought a BPL stereo but had to return it the next day as it was emitting fumes along with the music. The BPL one was sleek, the Phillips wasn't too great looking but was safer to use and no hazard of choking or electrocution.
The tape recorder was an expensive luxury those days, that I had to wait for the monthly accounts to be tallied and hope for any surplus and my parents' nod for me to purchase a cassette. I was listening to the radio when my mom excitedly took out a cassette from her bag of vegetables and groceries. I was thrilled and hugged her. It was a twin movie cassette of Qayamat se Qayamat tak and Tezaab, the latest in the market and my first audio cassette. Those were the days when I was humming Hindi songs and Amir Khan, the chocolate boy was every ones heartthrob. And of course the Ek Do Teen song with Maduri gyrating her hips was a sensation too. I told mom to open the cassette box and take it out so that we can play it on our new player. She fumbled and turned the cassette front to back, back to front, pulling it, prying it out, as she was about to gouge Amir Khans eyes out I let out a scream and took it from her. "Uff ! Don't you know how to open a cassette?" My naive mom with unconditional love watched me wide eyed as if I was Einstein, as I opened the box and took out the tape and played the stereo.
How do we learn these things .... all along mom has been showing me, teaching me, guiding me. When do we grow up and know things better than our mothers!!
There's no jealousy or competition just satisfaction on her part, knowing that her daughter knows everything.
Well as usual, my thoughts are flying off on a tangent.
Let me chat with my mom and get back to this .....missing her!!
I am back... Getting back to cassettes I remember buying plain cassettes making a list of songs, getting it recorded from the local music wala who would ogle at me lecherously... unmindful I would stand patiently to collect the cassette, take it home and write the song names overleaf in a neat hand. How I loved to press the record button when some new song played on the radio. Used to hear the tapes till it gets old and screeched. Using a pencil to spool the stuck tape getting it all the more tangled. Making mix tape and gifting to friends, who used to be thrilled over these. My best half, then lover boy has gifted me tapes with love notes written on the inside flap! I would secretly read it over and over again.
So let me get back to my indulgence in reminiscence!
P.S. If you remember your first audio cassette write it in the comments and do not forget to hug or call your parents! Preachy old aunt I am turning into (sigh)
Boney M, Addis Ababa yup those were the days. Rewind, pull the tape out insert the tape back Wind the tape with fingers, remove the crease Rush to music store to have our favorite song recorded then play loud music to show off the new songs to your friends, yup sing and record your voice and felt worse as the voice was that of a male what not huh thanks for bringing back the memories pa
ReplyDeleteYeah... those were the days !!
ReplyDelete1942 A love story, with the new player.
ReplyDeletewe had a very old 2 in 1 when I was in primary school. I don’t remember the brand, hv memories of listening to ‘raasathi unna’ in that.
Nice to know u remember the song
ReplyDeleteRelived every moment of "my cassette days" through this! My fav was recording music from the radio and ofcourse recording my own voice over n over...secretly hoping I would sound better the next try! Glad to be part of the generation (the tail end probabaly) that used and treasured cassettes!
ReplyDeleteYep...how many cassettes we had by the time they became obsolete!
DeleteNice Reading Sang ....it creates a few laughs also while reading your remembrance of Tape Recorder and Cassette attachments...Actually, I could not recollect my first cassette or tape recorder incidents but I do remember my Mogapier days when we were studying in Class XII and I was coming to school in a Bicycle from my house. That time I was having a Tape Recorder...BPL I think...I bought Gentleman Duet and few Hindi Movie Song cassettes 1942 a love story also one of those cassettes. A small period of that one year I was in cloud nine...attracted to a Ninth standard girl in my street and me used to play that romantic song from my first-floor house and she was crossing for school or to store along with her younger sister. It creates a laugh when I remember those periods. I play out the songs loudly and wait in the balcony and try to get her attention and succeeded some times also. After a few months, that girl family vacated the home from that place and my tape recorder remembrance also abruptly ends. I could not recollect a tape recorder incident before or after that brief period of my infatuation. A sort of sweet memories...Ha Ha Ha.
ReplyDeleteHaha....happy that I rekindled yr memories.
ReplyDelete