Growing up in the 1990s is a surreal experience . I always feel that as a generation, we have been very lucky to see technology grow with us . It is a golden mean between my dad's generation in the 70s who really got wonderful things very late in life to the people born in the 1990s and later for whom a lot of things were taken for granted
The first and the best thing about those times was the 'It's OK to be middle class'. My schooldays were a lot of fun. And while there were kids around me who were richer and had access to some really cool stuff (some examples I can think of are Action shoes with lights, funky school bags, pagers on which you could see cricket scores) and also not as rich , it did not seem to make a lot of difference.
It was assumed that some things were unaffordable, even impossible, and we never felt sad about it.
In the pre-information age, even information was considered to be an asset. Like the guy in our class who saw that one cricket match we had all missed. Or that girl who had Madhuri Dixit's phone number and she would flaunt "mere paas uska number hai, pata hai?". Without any validation or attempt to see how easy it was to get it, such things were basis of one-upmanship
I think my parents were indeed pioneers in getting us exposed to computers and technology and it's a gift that was always amazing.
But I guess somethings that are fairly unusual today might have been so usual then:
1. It was rather usual to walk around without a single penny in your pocket as schoolchildren
2. Time seemed to be always abundant. In fact in 1993/4, I remember an ad about the "Hero Cup" and it was 100 days away . I was counting each day as it came.
3. Things were valued more. Pencils, Erasers, Toys, cricket balls. I recently saw someone go to Tennis practice with about 40 balls and I felt a little lump in my throat
4. Simple picnics were fun. No out-of-India trips. Going to Matheran every year seemed to be a top luxury.
5. Getting lost was the scariest thing ever. In my childhood, I always feared that if I let go my parents' hand, I would end up searching for them the rest of my life. There were no announcement booths to announce "lost children". Every outing was associated with mom's instruction to meet at one pre-decided place if you get lost
6. Trust was more. Everywhere. Banks, shops, friends, relatives.
7. Asking for help was considered totally fine. Relatives would babysit for you, dropping onto people's home for dinner or even staying over was very very normal . Asking people on the street to help you with a chore was also considered normal
8. Valuing money was not considered bad. It was OK to not go for a picnic or a movie citing costs.
9. Entertainment was less, not all was good quality but all entertainment was well respected.
10. Access to information was limited. It was never possible to google and check something. The limitation of books in this regard was almost frustrating at times.
The first and the best thing about those times was the 'It's OK to be middle class'. My schooldays were a lot of fun. And while there were kids around me who were richer and had access to some really cool stuff (some examples I can think of are Action shoes with lights, funky school bags, pagers on which you could see cricket scores) and also not as rich , it did not seem to make a lot of difference.
It was assumed that some things were unaffordable, even impossible, and we never felt sad about it.
In the pre-information age, even information was considered to be an asset. Like the guy in our class who saw that one cricket match we had all missed. Or that girl who had Madhuri Dixit's phone number and she would flaunt "mere paas uska number hai, pata hai?". Without any validation or attempt to see how easy it was to get it, such things were basis of one-upmanship
I think my parents were indeed pioneers in getting us exposed to computers and technology and it's a gift that was always amazing.
But I guess somethings that are fairly unusual today might have been so usual then:
1. It was rather usual to walk around without a single penny in your pocket as schoolchildren
2. Time seemed to be always abundant. In fact in 1993/4, I remember an ad about the "Hero Cup" and it was 100 days away . I was counting each day as it came.
3. Things were valued more. Pencils, Erasers, Toys, cricket balls. I recently saw someone go to Tennis practice with about 40 balls and I felt a little lump in my throat
4. Simple picnics were fun. No out-of-India trips. Going to Matheran every year seemed to be a top luxury.
5. Getting lost was the scariest thing ever. In my childhood, I always feared that if I let go my parents' hand, I would end up searching for them the rest of my life. There were no announcement booths to announce "lost children". Every outing was associated with mom's instruction to meet at one pre-decided place if you get lost
6. Trust was more. Everywhere. Banks, shops, friends, relatives.
7. Asking for help was considered totally fine. Relatives would babysit for you, dropping onto people's home for dinner or even staying over was very very normal . Asking people on the street to help you with a chore was also considered normal
8. Valuing money was not considered bad. It was OK to not go for a picnic or a movie citing costs.
9. Entertainment was less, not all was good quality but all entertainment was well respected.
10. Access to information was limited. It was never possible to google and check something. The limitation of books in this regard was almost frustrating at times.
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