The Simple Life

[As told to me by my Dad]

Back then-

Everyone wore shirts that said 'Make love,not war.' [as cliched as it may sound]

You didn't say 'HI', you said 'PEACE'. '

You rode your bikes slow, so the girls could che

ck you out.

There were only about eight bikes and five scooters in Chandigarh.

They called themselves the 'Dooks' and the 'Yanks' .

A movie cost one rupee fifty, the chinese cost two rupees and a cola was fifty paise, so your date cost you about Rs.5.

The movies changed every day, with one English movie showing on Wednesday.

You could hear your friends bike from a mil

e away (literally).

Bell bottoms were cool.

Every one had a nickname- Fly, Flatty, Squeaky, Gooey.

You got your jeans from Jean Junction.

Walking was the way you got everywhere- to college and back, to sector seventeen and home.

Yelling across the park for cold coffee was normal.

So was the cow that lived in your friend-across-the-parks-house.

Morni was exciting.

Sitting on the round-abouts drinking rum for two rupees was the way to spend your evenings.

It was all so simple.

This is how it could've been.

{ An addition to this post by a good friend of my parents who grew up with them.Collective memories are important.}

I remember for Rs 10, you could fill your scooter. I usually filled up about Rs 5 worth at one go, or even Rs 3. But one time, when we were all in college, all I had was Rs 1, so that's how much gas I got filled in. It was really funny.

We lived in Sector 27-A, diagonally across from Sector 7, where some family friends lived. We went to their home almost every evening, and went for a walk. Walking was what one did for fun. On occasion, we walked from college (GCW) to your mum's home in Sector 8-A; Usha Hooda lived around the corner, and Candy didn't live too far either--we lived on cold coffee in the summertime. It was also a good way to lose weight if that's all you consumed.

And Morni was a lot of fun. Ask your dad and mum to show you photos of one of our trips there on scooters.

Love, Vinty