Olden days
There was a time when things were lot less complicated…
when finding a parking spot on Tariq Road used to take a couple of minutes…
when mobile phones did not exist and you could walk on the beach for hours without getting that “phonecall”…
when Lucky Coach used to charge 4 rupees to get from Malir Halt to Clifton…
when you could spend hours at Sagar Video Games at Boat Basin and purchase tokens for a rupee…
when a soft cone at Snoopy used to cost 10 rupees, a burger at Mr. Burger used to cost 15 rupees, and a bottle of pepsi was for 4 rupees…
when “Live Wires” was the most popular band in town, and “cha gaye hain badalon kay ssaye” was the national anthem of Karachi…
when “Thunder Cats” was the favorite TV show among kids…
when there was no CLI on landlines and you could randomly dial a number to try your luck and have a conversation with a charming girl…
when girls used to wait for such phone calls…
when you could fill up your car with petrol for only 200 rupees.
Related posts:
True… True…
P.S. I have been visiting this blog for the past 6 months and was trying to register myself with metblogs the subscription for Karachi is closed. Can anyone invite me to this blog as a contributor??? I can help with upto 4-5 posts per week.:D
Umar - you have hit the nail on the head literally in all regards good Nostalgic post
is candy and shahi supari still a rupee at the local convenience shop?
good times ssssiiiigggghhh
unn waqton ki kya hi baat hai. wo zamana hum bhoolein nahi hain :D waqt badaltay dair nahi lagti, too bad time has changed for worse :(
Yeh I miss the times with 3-4 rupees coca colas. However, I am not aware if girls did wait for such calls?
Nice post. I really really do wish if things could be the same. When I InshAllah go back to Pakistan in a months time, I wonder how I would react to the cultural changes. I would really miss the times that used to exist 5 years ago. Also, the fact my grand parents have grown olderrrr now. And miss the times when carefreely we used to go to nana nani’s place every weekend :(. Yeh really miss the olden times :/
Nice post again mate.
Nice one buddy, u have just touched my heart and remind me those beautiful days of my life, when there is a tension free life…. when, after friday prayers we used to rent a movie for the afternoon, when there is love in environment, when every thing is going good, when you never thought to leave your city and country. I wish every thing would be the same, but in my opinion things are not going back to normal, there has to be something extraordinary to change the situation, Something like “INQiLAAB” (Revolution), something like the concept in RDB, to deal with those corrupt generals and politicians .
Today i heard news about the attack by Pakistan Army (Evil ARMY), its a shameful and sinful act of killing humanity.
My Allah give peace to those who died in this incident and peace to their family.
Our Army don’t have any good thing to do, they just know how to capture their own country, how to divide own country, how to make corruption in this country. Today I feel so bad for being Pakistani.
May Allah bless Pakistan.
I also miss how relatives used to care for each other. Now looks like every relation is commercialised. Is it the same for you guys?
dude..you are absolutely right & guys trust me…this situation of price hike across the country and the rupee getting devlauated every now & then is going to get worse in the coming years.
UMAR !!! Man …you reminded me of ….wat days man …wat days … i feel Totally speechless !!! :(
Thats true, now importance of money is more than you and your relations, so bad :(…
simplicity of life and sincerity in us is lost
Today i feel super great about being a pakistani, and i love our army. Anyone who calls them corrupt should be forced to move to afghanistan.
We cant just sit back and be slaughtered by this ongoing war that affects and disfigures our society more than any other country in the world.
I am sorry for any lives lost, but for the good of our country our people and our religion the backward hate mongers need to change or die or preferably just run across the border.
I too miss the simpler days, but we do have more opportunities than we used to, which makes our choices more valuable.
Ps: i am not sure any girl really waited for those calls, i think i’d know :)
Yes you are right my friend, this is a best solution , kill them because they are backward, not to educate them just kill them, Nice thoughts I can understand your mental state. If a person don’t realize that there is something wrong, how can he improve him self, same goes for organizations, if you think army is not corrupt (u are in dream world,so wake up face reality) than no need to do anything.
Hmmph! I always had a suspicion they thought we waited for those calls! No thanks dude! Those times were alos muchos more conservative, and once the damn call was over, in which the guy would just throw up any name, or even say a general thing like, “apni beti se baat karain, main usay jaanta hoon…,” the parents would take out their frustration at the anon caller on the poor girl!
I remember in my school days we often heard stories of how some ultra-conservative girls were beaten the crap out of for no reason but those silly calls, sometimes made by classfellows who got access to the number. Real bad. I wonder why people make that assumption about OTHERS that they are welcoming their unwanted advances… but never about themselves or in such cases, about their own sisters? (Le olde taunte, but true!)
{I remain a slightly over-zealous anti-harrassment activist. Anyone who has trouble believing at the consequences of such “harmless, innocent fun” are welcome to volunteer at (girl) children/women abuse helplines & prevention centers; Madadgar is one. Listen to the stories and the little incidents that triggered major violence.}
Etc.
Agree with you Ramla! I was in early teens when we moved. Perhaps girls wait now? Im not sure?
oh fawad bhai! the army is corrupt but the mullahs arent? :)
The army is why you are still living in pakistan and not russia /india/ afghanistan, you might want to show some respect. Do you know how many brave young men had to die for you to be here?
Its in human nature to be a little corrupt i am sure you arent perfect either neither am I.
I am all for education, and being backwards is not a crime - but those talibanist bastards arent just backward they want to fight and kill other people till we are all either dead or living in chains (whats worse?).
War is ugly. But inspite of some corrupt elements i think mush and the army are doing their level best for you and me and i am sure they have good reasons for doing what they did.
The topic is very good and it would be nice if one don’t spoil it by discussing off the topic things. Ash,kid start living in real world. The real world is very different than your imaginary world.
back to the topic, Umar, how did you forget mini bottles? Pakola Mini, Coke mini =) and and the famous old mango drink “CRUSH”[i think I remember right].
this is something i blogged back in august 2004.
We innocently went to school, came home, studied, and went to school the next day
Boating Basin was the place to enjoy
Chilli chips was the snack to enjoy
Mr. Burger Slush was the drink (or Miranda and Fanta tops! There was no “black” or “white”)
Eating out meant going to Cafe de Khan/Tooso or Noorani Kat-a-Kat
When a computer was a Commodore 64, or P1 was a “wow!”
When TV used to be about Full House and Perfect Strangers
Homework had to finish by NTM Prime Time 7 p.m. transmission
Urdu used to be pure urdu, as opposed to present day hindi-blend
Clothes were about what makes one graceful, instead of subliminal strip tease
Weddings had mehndis with dholaks and songs were sung, and everyone clapped and knew the latest wedding song to add to the singing competition
A phone call past 2130 hours was evil
Night was actually meant to sleep
Parks were actually a leisure area
Hillpark had the best rides and candy floss
Reconditioned cars would be the only vehicles in sight
The qulfi wala’s bell-tingle was the perfect excuse to borrow Rs. 3 from mom and eat qulfi
Ten bucks were a world of purchasing power
Five bucks could suffice the entire week’s lunch break
Drinking cold drinks was forbidden
Water was too tasty to miss
Rooh Afza and “Ae Khuda Mere Abbu Salamat Rahen” reigned supreme
The Dentonic billboards were the best (the dude whose face was only alphabet)
Defence ended on 21st street, Kh-e-Shamsheer, the rest was all barren
KFC was unaffordably priced at Rs. 120 for a zinger meal
Silver Spoon and Jan’s?Karachi Broast were king
Friday was a holiday
Every Friday would meant ice-cream from Bahadurabad’s Crazy Cones, Coffee-Vanilla mix.
Every Sunday would mean Vanilla ice-cream from Baskins
Chinese was best at Yuan Tung
The best fries were only available at hotels
Mossy green water at KMC Sports Complex, and that lovely tall diving structure there (as compared to clean filtered water at clubs)
We watched movies on VHS
Bambino cinema had the dancing woman in its name bar, shaking her booty in blue neon lights
There were drive-in cinemas, and Hillpark was one of them
Gul Plaza and Bohri Bazaar were the only places to shop. Tariq Road was too damned expensive
The only shopping “malls” were Saddar and Tariq Road
Concerts was all about families enjoying music
A curfew was a curfew at home
Mobile phones were disconnected in the city
Curfews in the city did mean dark silent dead roads, and a car bearing the “Press” sticker was like a flying carpet
Copper Kettle was the only hangout of a kind, and Caked Alaska/Poison Supreme were yummy desserts
When dessert after dinner meant Peshawari Ice-cream from Bahadurabad, or PIDC ka Paan
Bun Kababs any given day, from Sindhi Muslim
Agha’s was a place to go for social status (in true Ghutna spirit)
Rabi Centre was the only place for wedding clothes, and Glamour One/Chase/Gap were children’s favourite spots
A wedding always meant sporting a lehanga and bangles, and Tariq Center’s fashion jewelry was the perfectly expensive gift anytime, anywhere
Every female landed at Home Economics College. Her marital status depended on it.
PTV had the best dramas, and Hasina Moin was always the treat before slumber
Basant was actually a kite-flying competition, and not a fashion and money show
Well, the farigh always wait for farigh “fun.”
And this whole thing is/was an industry in itself. Very, very often, guileless young children (girls, and I have heard but not met in person, boys) are trapped or teased through such antics.
A random encounter is no disaster, and it’s not to imply that every such caller was out there with milicious intent. But some such innocent calls - made by unassuming persons - can bring real trouble on the other side. What I have a persistent issue with is the attitude where this kind of activity is seen as such a bona fide part of the growing up thing, that one *must* do it, and act as if it has no consequence.
Solution: Give adolescents something positive to do. My very, very strong belief is that when children and young persons have constructive activities at hand, they do not wilfully enter into activities that they know will bring harm to others, however small or big.
It’s about the positive/negative mindset, not the activity per se. Random calling is not a sin to be shot down for. Just that, many many people do it very regularly and with the planned intent to bring harm. Yesterday it was the phone. Today it’s the much more complicated Internet. We all know the stories… Not good.
Clothes were about what makes one graceful, instead of subliminal strip tease
So true!
Ash bibi, you should not call names. You never know who is what. Respect others please.
@Anathema
“Every female landed at Home Economics College. Her marital status depended on it.”
Not entirely true.OR my family might be an exception with MashaAllah 2 women doctors, 1 teacher on my mum’s side.
I am glad that is one thing that might have changed.
Other than that, your post does make it nostalgic.
Glad, it is not only those living overseas but those in Pakistan find the change shocking and partly saddening!:)
ASH :-
Just for you here is a bitter truth about the ARMY that many uf us love by-default.
http://www.hvk.org/articles/0803/125.html
So open your eyes and see the guards stealing the money from home
Anathema: You added Chaar Chaand to this post. Beautiful beautiful beautiful.
Ash: Theres a right way to do thing’s and a wrong way to do things. If those people were doing something illegal against the country, arrest them and prosecute them, why kill them like Gaali Kay Kuttay. It is only going to create more factions in our society. It is so sad :(
Allah rehm karay Pakistan pay.
And yeah, i fully agree to whatever all Anathema listed, specially about Dentonic billboards.
But what about PTV’s “intizar farmiye” & “nashiryati raabtay mai kharabi ke baes hum ye match aap tak barah-i-raast nai pahunchasaktay”
I even remember going to market and coming back after 30 45 minutes, during a PAKi match, only to find that the intizar farmaiye is still there. lolz
Lol MB…
Yeh…Also the news regarding:
“Makbooza Kashmir” and “Falastine” - I hated news as a kid, same old news every day!
Umar & Anathema, you two really brought back some beautiful memories….those were the carefree days…;-(
I agree we are off topic. I also agree that i am a little over idealistic about the army. But for all the corruption charges you guy talk about show me one govt in pakistan which was less corrupt. Lets not hold the army to a standard that we have never ever seen and likely will never.
i did not mean to sound callous about the deaths of many people. I just dont think the army would have done something against our national interest.
BTW my mother and my father are drs who served in the army in the 1971 wars, my dad was pow for 2 years. I know a lot of army families, probably more than anyone else on this site and i think if the army was a fundamentally corrupt organization i would know.
I apologise for offending whoever was offended but i will not apologise for feeling loyal to the army, or for suggesting that pakistan should fight to be a secular country like it was intended to be.
umar: wonderful!!! now THIS is a post!! perfect!!
anathema: good addition :-D waqai mein char chaand laga dye aapney :D
Life was simple then because people had fewer expectations out of life and had the courage to live simply without feeling inferior or BITTER. It was the time when parents didn’t feel guilty in telling their children off in case of unreasonable demands, when defaulters and corrupt officers were looked down upon by the society and honest govt. officers were considered for marriage proposals, when most boys & girls were not so aware of the bling bling and believed in living happily ever after…..even though reality would come soon knocking at their doors but their love persisted and prevailed, when love was some thing more precious than the number of dimonds in the engagement ring…….it can still happen and happens…….choice is yours to make.
Are you brave enough to defy the social trends and live a simple life and give love and time to your family instead of money…and are women ready to live a life where money might be a concern but not trust, love or time spent together……choices, choices choices!!!!!!
ASH - Some other time bro, one advise just open yup ur eyes and see what is actually happening, not what others want u to see.
u have to be brave to accept truth.
Ah! nostalgia. (specially for us who r out of pakistan).
Heart touching post. :o) really really really miss those times.
P1? Bhai we used to say “WOW” when any of my fellow used to work on 486 with 8MB of RAM and less than GB of hard disk.hehehhe.
@AussiePaki: I rather used to hear thing like “Iran Iraq Jang” or “Aghanistan Soviet Union Jang”
I would like to add two entries.
- When Current Islamic Militants/Osama were “Mujahidin” for Pakistani Govt.
-When Ziaul Haq was more frequent on PTV than Behbod-e-Abadi Ads.
“ASH - Some other time bro,” sorry for that if u r a girl
Pentium 1 : I remember PIA bought 5 Pentium-Is and it made a news in the local newspaper *i think it was dawn* :)
I felt so proud to own a p-1 back then hahaha wonderful life it was.
And Saima is so right. For some people, life is still the same, and its not because things havent changed for them, but because they did not change. One can still defy the social norms. Kitni buraaye phaail gaye hain, Allah maafi.
i am a girl. but i took that “bro” in the spirit you meant it. :)
I dont remember having pepsi/coke for RS 5 !!!
thanks for the smile, we have to spread smile, respect, love, kindness in our society, we need it more than any other thing.
:)
I do remember having Pepsi in 4 Rs, with a jet sport :P, plus “Meri muthi main band hai kia??… batado na … naz pan masala naz pan masala”
-When Wordstar was the most commonly used Word Processor.
wonderful post Umar
@Anathema
love ur list!
@Adnan
cummon, even i remember a 4-5 rupee ki coke/pepsi/miranda and not ancient :P
I remember when we used to take 6 rupees to school for lunch in 1992, and then a few years later, 10- rupees would mean a chicken sandwich and a cold drink OR a packet of slims, coke and eclairs from the change, that was in 96/97 i think! Ahh the joy!
Hmm…I even remember 3 rupees mini coke in the “shopping bag” + 2 rupees slims =D. I miss the good old slims! Are they still available?? And that is around 1992/1993.
@IllusionFs: because we are movig more towards capitalism than socialism and this thing is very harmful than anyother thing. I think in the next 5/10 years, Joint Family System would be an obsolete thing in our society.
1996-1997 was a severe price war between pepsi and coke and 250 ml bottles were sold for as low as Rs. 2 or Rs. 3. the official prices since have remaned Rs. 9 or 10 for chilled or unchilled.
@ everyone who liked the list: thanks. its literally two and a quarter years old :).
Amazing post I must say, reminds me of the good old Karachi which once used to be…
@Anathema: No doubt your list was awesome!
@Adnan Siddiqi
there is nothing good about joint family system. You dont marry to serve the guys family. Unless your in-laws are super nice and do not interfere/poke their nose in every matter of yours.
Aussi_Paki: You seem to have a stupid opinion about joint-family system. Joint-Family system is not about recruiting maids as wives for the ‘Jawan ladkay’ of the family but it is more about harmony & peace together. Its about eating dinners together. Its about grand-parents teaching their grand-kids the rights and wrongs of life, the experiences that they have gained. Its about helping your lesser abled siblings because not everyone in the family makes it big. Its about praying together. Its about unity. Its about completeness. Most of our minds are corrupted and we do not see ‘our faults’ anymore. We are too corrupt to even say right as right and wrong as wrong. We have accepted wrong as right, and often laugh at those who are doing right. Like I hear it often:
Shareef Admi ka guzara nahi hai ab iss maasharay mein
wot about buying JOGGERS from bata or service.
and getting a free ball and stickers when buying school shoes.
taking tin pencil boxes to school.
even danger mouse was enjoyable then.
having chocolate meant having jubilee.
IllusionFS,
Joint family system, unfortunately is not as great as you have described it to be….it needs a lot of effort and generosity on everyone’s part to maintain the decency in the house and even then people put up and live with a lot of emotional and mental stress. Litle things can cause bitterness and misunderstandings which lead to very hostile surroundings.
Grandparents can surely teach good manners and morals to the grandchildren provided they are educated and work with the parents….in case of the power struggle the very children become tools in the hands of family members…..so we need to understand every aspect of the issue before passing judgements.
All the good deeds that you have mentioned can still be done without living together but closeby to each other…..and even if destiny takes us away from the loved ones we can still make an effort to keep those links alive……the idea is to live with love for each other.
BTW, I remember coke was for 50 paisas when I was in class 1(1973) and for Rs.5/- when I graduated in 1988….ok I am ancient but still remember the good times, although even now I have no complaints abut life!!!
@Illusions, Well said.We Eastern people thinking about shedding joint family system and in the West Its making a come back out of sheer necessacity though.People are living longer and their retirement savings are running out around 80s so in order to survive 5-10 more years old folks decided to live with their kids instead of nursing homes.
Dee.
Every family is different. illusions is lucky to have a great extended family (like mine)so we assume living together is great. Some people however are not so lucky and for them the joint family system is complete hell. Particularly id say for women but really for everyone.
we have to stop living in the past coz its all over. it was inevitable that inflation would cause prices to rise and things would never be the same again. i do miss all those great times when everything was all right. at least we have some good memories of the past which we can hold on to. we cant bring the good old times back but we can relive them in our head.
After reading so many comments I have also decided to add some.
Since I am a bachelor living all alone here since years, I dont have any experience but I know our culture and society so in my opinion I would say that “live separately but stay close to each other, or in other words dont live together and not having good relations”. Kaisa ? :)
Kahan say kahani shuru huwi thi aur tum logon nay kahan tak pohancha di hai.
Umar … well done … good post.
My vote goes to this post for the best post of the week. The credit doesnt goes just to you, its all the ppl who have given good comments.
@Illusionsfs,
Perhaps your idea is stupid to me! So do not judge what I am saying. I have been through it and I did not see any compassion when I lived with my paternal side. So look at things from other perspectives too. It is not always easy to live in joint family. Not everyone has had the great joint family experience you had! So I’d rather have you ask why I believe in that rather than saying my view is stupid. You cant understand how I see the world and neither do I know how you see it, so live and let live.
And why do you see it as you are right always, Sadia and Saima have said some wise stuff. Please take a note.
And why do you see it as you are right always, Sadia and Saima have said some wise stuff. Please take a note. There is the problem in our society of being constantly defensive. Others have views and experiences too!
TOOSOO , YES TOOSOO - Life is so incomplete and hollow like a freaking dholki without Toosoo falooda. a great watering-hole it was too.
damn it Anathema , i think i am gonna cry me a river now .
Aussia: sadia said something which is not compatible with your statment.
Aussi_Paki & Saima Baaji: I didnt mean to cause no harm to any of your feelings. Actually you are right, it cant be good for all of us. And all of us have unique different experiences. And yes I do consider myself lucky to have enjoyed good joint family life. Behno, take it easy lol. Its not you who are stupid, its me :D . . I think I am still living in illusions and fantasies that everything is perfect and its perfect for everyone.
DV: Its Tooso, not toosoo. Great Falooda though, lekin only when they put in fresh fruits (which happens most of the time)
Behno, mein shama chahata hon.
forgiven, fogotten mr illusions. Adnan misunderstood, I was supporting aussi, - my own family worked well but we are certainly just lucky, that doesnt mean its not a bad system.
illusionfs,
Don’t be apologetic and Feel free to express yourself, its great to hear point of views logically or (emotionally )as long as they are honest and not just for degrading people…..and c’mon , i am not so vulnerable that point of views will hurt me…..
BTW on a lighter note, I know many great women who have lived in a joint family system and (proved to be )and are a great BAHU or BHABI or SAAS or NANND, etc., etc.,…. but “their joints” started aching rather early in life because of the physical and emotional stress in keeping the family ‘joint’ is also a reality.
And on YAADAIN note….gurumandir had the best “gnney ka juice”, shop was next to newtown musjid and no one has still been able to beat the “bohri bazzar ki chaat”, without which my college life wud have been spiceless as that was the only ‘Spice’ allowed….well lets add the finger chips called SLIMS which was for RS.1/-, until I left college in 1988.
illusionfs,
Don’t be apologetic and Feel free to express yourself, its great to hear point of views logically or (emotionally )as long as they are honest and not just for degrading people…..and c’mon , i am not so vulnerable that point of views will hurt me…..
BTW on a lighter note, I know many great women who have lived in a joint family system and (proved to be )and are a great BAHU or BHABI or SAAS or NANND, etc., etc.,…. but “their joints” started aching rather early in life because of the physical and emotional stress in keeping the family ‘joint’ is also a reality.
And on YAADAIN note….gurumandir had the best “gnney ka juice”, shop was next to newtown musjid and no one has still been able to beat the “bohri bazzar ki chaat”, without which my college life wud have been spiceless as that was the only ‘Spice’ allowed….well lets add the finger chips called SLIMS which was for RS.1/-, until I left college in 1988.
Np Illusionsfs. Yes Adanan thats what I said, Sadia appreciated the fact that she is lucky to have a nice joint family, yet she understood not everyone does.
Cheers.
Saima, are slims still available in Karachi :D?
umar! dude!! ur OLD.
Aussi_Paki,
yes! “slims” is still available with the slight difference in packaging, but same old taste, brought some back from my recent trip to karachi….available at Agha’s.
hmm thanks heaps Saima =D. I’m sorry but I have forgotten, where is Agha’s?
why dont i see my comments here?tried posting here only to find them moderated to the limit they disappear.and i dont think what i write is offensive either,knowin from the comments ive read above.
wow…man seriously i wish i was born durin those times…..seriously da problem wit ppl these days and when you ask someone for help… they swear at you and stuff…i mean that this wasnt that pakistan people who really fought for the country gave us..indeed its us spoiling everything that could ever be called that beauty of pakistan..anyway guys i am gonna shift to paki…i am in abu dhabi right now and am really in need for good friends out there….till then
peace out everyone
naved …..kissmybullet@hotmail.com….. i need help guys…wanna get in a good college n forming a band