POSTITs FROM THE PAST
HOW WE GOT AROUND
Until the 1980s, two kinds of cars dominated Indian roads, the chubby Ambassador and the sleeker Premier Padmini. You didn’t need a driver to flaunt your status; owning a car was often enough. But for those who did get chauffeured around, life was a breeze …unless of course you were a twowheeler family. Papa rode the family scooter, typically the Bajaj Chetak, mummy sat side-saddle behind, the kids stood in the front. More ambitious types rode their Rajdoots or Yezdis. They represented the freedom a mere scooter could never give. And for those who couldn’t afford the plunge, there was the trusty Kinetic Luna. Remember the slogan, “Chal Meri Luna”.
DRESSING UP, HEADING OUT
Did you have a Ravi, Tarun or Tareeq on your wrist? Was Sona, Nutan or Kanchan part of your wedding? The watches from Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) ticked to life in 1961 and pioneered hand-wound, quartz, automatic and Braille watches in India.
There were icons on your feet too. In its prime, Carona was second only to Bata in India’s shoe market. The brand that started in 1953 built its reputation on canvas and rubber shoes for a rapidly urbanising workforce that needed affordable Western-style footwear.
FASHION STATEMENT
In an age without glitzy malls, fastfashion outlets and designer pret, fashion nonetheless thrived. The trousers started high and flared wide — all the better to accommodate platform heels. 1970s India never met a polyester print it didn’t like. Checks, florals, clashing themes, it all worked on Western wear like maxi-dresses, mini skirts and fitted shirts. Tailors sewed on huge collars and spent hours turning prematched fabric from Vimal, Mayur, and Bombay Dyeing into safari suits. Of course, tinted sunglasses made everything look even better.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
For much of India, the toothpaste brands Cibaca and Binaca call to mind not the teeth but the ears. The title sponsors of Geetmala, the weekly filmmusic countdown radio show, enthralled audiences from 1952 to 1995. Binaca (rebranded as Cibaca in 1994) Geetmala was the first to rate Indian film songs interspersed with a lively commentary by Ameen Sayani.
Moving images, however, were where the competition lay. Was your TV a Keltron, Uptron, Texla or Crown? No matter, it probably was housed in its own wooden cabinet, with extendable antennae and analog dials. Neighbours would huddle around in your living room to catch the news, a TV show or a film.