India's 90s kids have experienced joys that children of today will never know. Those decades were times of rapid technological progress and social changes that opened an exciting world before us. We delighted in such simple pleasures like CRT television, analogue audio, without knowing that many of the advances would soon become history.
Black and white television
None can forget the sturdy box with two antennae, displaying a dreamy, silvery black and white image before us. One had to manually adjust a separate aluminium roof antenna and tuners in the television to catch the broadcast signal.
Doordarshan
Long before cable television and OTT platforms became a rage, there was DD1 from Doordarshan. It was the only channel for Indian families to enjoy till 1993. The soft, soulful opening music with the logo representing an eye is unforgettable. Ramayan and Mahabharat aired in this channel.
VCR and VHS
Millennials would fondly recall the craze that was VCR and VHS. Cassettes containing spools of magnetic tape that got sucked into a player and displayed world cinema on our TV screens was fascinating. That feeling of tangible reality got lost in the digital age.
Walkman and Audio cassettes
Many of us remember obsessively flicking the bass button of the sleek and portable Sony Walkman on and off. Audio cassettes had better sound than MP3s and they could be repaired if they got damaged, unlike digital files.
Indrajal comics
Whether it is the Phantom defeating goons with his wolf and horse, Mandrake playing tricks on his enemies or Flash Gordon besting Ming the Merciless, Indrajal comics was an inseparable part of our lives till the mid-1990s. The colourful panels depicted worlds we could never explore.
Die-cast cars and action figures
The joy of creating imaginary worlds and sequences with Hot Wheels cars, He-Man and G.I.Joe action figures is something only Millenials will remember. Nowadays, most kids spend time on mobile phone games.