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Revisiting the 1990’s.
Introduction
1990 was the last decade of the second millennium. With the onset of 1990, our country – India witnessed a sea of changes. It was the transition period from the 2nd millennium to the 3rd millennium.
India had just lost her youngest Prime Minister – Mr Rajeev Gandhi to a terrorist assassination plot. Mr Manmohan Singh, the then Finance Minister of the country, and his team were the ones who introduced the country to Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization, thereby, making India a part of the global village. Thus, opening the gates of the closed Indian market to the world.
Games and Sports in Everyday Life
With this, the 90’s kid saw a wave of changes in their daily lives. Till then, the kids were engaged in playing outdoor games like gully cricket patronizing their cricket God – Sachin Tendulkar, kho-kho, football, Dhyanchand’s hockey etc. Children also spent their time playing games such as Chess, (with an aim to, defeat the, then, Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand), Carrom, Ludo, Snake and Ladder etc.
Time Spent with Family
The 90’s kid enjoyed spending quality time with their elders, parents, friends etc. They had time for their younger generations and mentored them in their studies and life values. They helped their parents in the household works like in the kitchen, tidying the rooms, cleaning the cupboards etc.
They enjoyed the activities like gardening, doing prayers in the evening, eating dinner together with family on the dining table or sitting on the ground. The feeling of oneness and togetherness was of utmost priority of every family.
Mouth-watering Cooked Dishes
They relished the food cooked by their mother at their home. The mouth-watering Samosa with chutney, lip-smacking Idli and Sambar, jaw-dropping Chole Bhature, the craze for Dairy Milk chocolate and Rasna, the five-rupee Chat and Dahi Vadda in front of school gates and the privilege to eat a platterful of Biryani with salad till date would be alive in the memories of every 90’s kid.
One cannot forget the taste of home-made rice kheer and poori, a plate of Pulao-rice and Mattar-Paneer, the side dishes like bhaji, aloo-curry, chutney, pickles, fried brinjal or ash gourd or potato, bhindi masala, etc that brings water to the mouth of every kid of that generation. The thought of chocolate or butter-scotch ice-cream, cold-drinks, Uncle Chips or Lays was a treat for them for excelling in exams and setting up good examples for juniors.
The Unforgettable Movies
The Bappi Lahiri effect in songs and dance by the choreographer Saroj Khan ruled the movies. The melodious and versatile voices of Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurty, Kumar Sanu, Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayan made the songs memorable for all time to come.
The dance queen Madhuri Dixit, the expression queen Sridevi, macho man Sunny Deol, chocolate boy Jakkie Shorf are someone whom any 90’s kid can ever forget. The super hit movies by the late actress Sridevi and Anil Kapoor in Sci-Fic movie “Mr India”, Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan in “Baazigar”, Juhi Chawala and Amir Khan in “Qyamat Se Qyamat Tak” ruled everyone’s heart. The movies like “Hum Apke Hain Kaun” and “Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge” are still ruling the mind and heart of every 90’s individual.
The Doordarshan and Akashvani were the daily entertainment source for the individuals of the 1990s. The soaps like Shri Krishna, Mahabharat, Shaktiman, Surag, Byomkesh Bakshi, Chandrakanta were the most-watched ones by the 90’s youngster.
Some Memories
The black and white desktop screen and Ajanta fan were a luxury then. The video game connected to the TVs and a manual joystick to control the movement of Super Mario in video games, Konark Television, Colgate toothpaste, Vespa Scooter ride of the whole family together, Natraj Pencil and Rubber, ink pens and ball-point pens to write school exams, the craze for Chandamama magazine and Wisdom stories etc are some of the noted key points that every 90’s child had the privilege to use.
Conclusion
The 1990s was the last decade that paved way to the upcoming new millennium. 31st December, 1999, marked the end of 2nd millennium. But every ending has a new beginning. Let’s check what the 3rd millennium has got for us in the next article.