The first stars are visible in the sky and it is time to chew the fat about the day that just passed by...
My second childhood!
Posted 6th October 2008 at 09:53 AM by Cheeniya
How right it is to say that old age is second childhood! Let me confess to you that the comic strips in newspapers engage my attention a lot more than the prime news section. After all, there is nothing novel in bomb blasts and the communists trying to deride the nuclear agreement with US. Occasionally, newsmakers like Tehelka may conduct a sting operation but even that is fast losing its glamour. Apart from the comic strips, I glance through the Obituary column to see if any one who shared my bench in the school has kicked the bucket. But I do get totally immersed in the comic strips and the brain twisters like how many words we can squeeze out of some six or seven letters. I even avoid all phone calls during this strictly private moment of mine!
Of the comic strips that I read daily, Hagar the Horrible and Bud Blake’s Tiger are my top favourites. I found Tiger uttering something in today’s piece that is not only funny but quite profound too. In today’s episode, Tiger’s friend Suzy sets up a fortune-telling stall and the business is rather dull. When she laments to Tiger about the tardy business, Tiger says ‘I guess the future isn’t what it used to be’! This, I think, is an outstanding statement. I have seen people getting worried about their life in general and saying the same thing about the present state of affairs but the comment of Tiger set me thinking. Can future be not what it used to be?
About five decades back, my perception of future as a lad of 15 was all about a radio which we could carry wherever we went and machines that would wash my clothes without my having to bash them up against a slanted piece of rock like a demented fellow! I would try to avoid going out on Wednesday nights to stay tuned to Amin Sayani’s Binaca Geeth Mala. When it became imperative that I would have to skip it due to some engagement outside, that was the time when I used to dream of a portable radio. But ask my grandson who is 15 now about what he envisions as future, he’ll talk of short-haul private jets that would carry about six persons at a speed exceeding that of sound which, he hopes, would replace the existing automobiles. When I hear from him what would life be like after five decades, he tells me things that go way above my head!
There is a community called Kottapillamar that lives in a secluded locality in Srivaikuntam in Tamilnadu. The ladies of this community are not allowed to go out of the walled conclave and some of them may not have seen even a train! I often wonder what would be their perception of future. Remember that delightful comedy ‘The Gods must be crazy’ released in 1980. The film opens with a Coke bottle thrown from an aircraft and following that, a lot of crazy things happen because the aborigines of Botswana had never seen a Coke bottle before! Their vision of future would be what we were a century back!
Future is not, therefore, the same for everyone. It changes from time to time and people to people. Tiger’s terse comment that ‘future is not what it used to be’ makes a lot of sense. In fact, the future fluctuates a lot more than the present and the past. We’ll talk about how the past is not what it used to be sometime in the future if you are in a mood for it!
Of the comic strips that I read daily, Hagar the Horrible and Bud Blake’s Tiger are my top favourites. I found Tiger uttering something in today’s piece that is not only funny but quite profound too. In today’s episode, Tiger’s friend Suzy sets up a fortune-telling stall and the business is rather dull. When she laments to Tiger about the tardy business, Tiger says ‘I guess the future isn’t what it used to be’! This, I think, is an outstanding statement. I have seen people getting worried about their life in general and saying the same thing about the present state of affairs but the comment of Tiger set me thinking. Can future be not what it used to be?
About five decades back, my perception of future as a lad of 15 was all about a radio which we could carry wherever we went and machines that would wash my clothes without my having to bash them up against a slanted piece of rock like a demented fellow! I would try to avoid going out on Wednesday nights to stay tuned to Amin Sayani’s Binaca Geeth Mala. When it became imperative that I would have to skip it due to some engagement outside, that was the time when I used to dream of a portable radio. But ask my grandson who is 15 now about what he envisions as future, he’ll talk of short-haul private jets that would carry about six persons at a speed exceeding that of sound which, he hopes, would replace the existing automobiles. When I hear from him what would life be like after five decades, he tells me things that go way above my head!
There is a community called Kottapillamar that lives in a secluded locality in Srivaikuntam in Tamilnadu. The ladies of this community are not allowed to go out of the walled conclave and some of them may not have seen even a train! I often wonder what would be their perception of future. Remember that delightful comedy ‘The Gods must be crazy’ released in 1980. The film opens with a Coke bottle thrown from an aircraft and following that, a lot of crazy things happen because the aborigines of Botswana had never seen a Coke bottle before! Their vision of future would be what we were a century back!
Future is not, therefore, the same for everyone. It changes from time to time and people to people. Tiger’s terse comment that ‘future is not what it used to be’ makes a lot of sense. In fact, the future fluctuates a lot more than the present and the past. We’ll talk about how the past is not what it used to be sometime in the future if you are in a mood for it!
Total Comments 21
Comments
 | Dearest Cheeniya Sir, That was a profound blog! At the outset, I must mention that I too am a fan of "Hagar the Horrible"! I haven't read Bud Blake's Tiger. I will see if I can get a hold of it. And yes, the comic section (on Sundays there are 4 full pages of it!) is my favorite one too and the real funny ones I sometimes re-read on Monday mornings just to get an extra laugh or two at the beginning of the work week! About the future not being what it "used" to be. Wow! I really never thought about it until I read your blog. And now that you have written it, I cannot agree with it more. Some of the things that I dreamt of as my future, my kids already have those as their present. So yes, their dreams for the future are going to be different and probably more "advanced" than mine. Apart from that, I also think even the very "nature" of future seems different than what it used to be in the past! Future going into the past?! I am loosing myself in my own words here Sir! What I mean is, let us take the example of the feeling of being "settled". When I was growing up, being married was still consideres an essential part of being called (and feeling), "settled" in life. I am not sure it is the case for many girls today. They do want to get married. Sure. But the way I see it, not being married is no longer so much associated with the feeling of not being settled. Will have to think about this more. You have taken my mind on a flight to a land I have never been to before! Lots of luv, SS |
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| |  Dear Sir, Lovely to see a blog from you in this section after quite a while and as usual a fantastic blog from you. I completely nod in agreement with what Tiger has to say. Yes the future is so different for each one here. Amin Sayani is one man who can speak after decades and yet be instantly recognised, no one can beat him to it. His unique style is as unique as it can get. I agree that this second child hood is pretty enjoyable time , the enthusiasm infectitious. It is said ," Age does not make us childish, It merely finds us children still at heart". Yes I agree that for each generation the future holds a different interest. For Mommy it is her spiritual discourses schedule that is running in full swing these days due to navratri, For me its my work and the different ways of expansion , for my daughter it is the whether her favourite meals would be packed for her school. Yes Sir, I am all game to read about the past, any blog from you is always welcome as always.:)) Love, Your Mol |
 Updated 6th October 2008 at 04:38 PM by Devika Menon |
| | Dear Sir, I do agree with you and it is interesting to note that "future" is not what it used to be. I am sure what future was for my grandparents (staying with children in their old age) is not the kind of future my parents anticipated in their old age what with so many kids moving out etc. People and perspectives have changed and not a day passes by when I am not reminded if I really belong to another generation - I am a young mom and I feel this way when I see newly weds and college grads. I can only envision the kind of future my kids might be envisioning. As far as second childhood, while I do believe that old age is another chance, but as your blog points out it could change and I might have to grow up faster and might not have a chance to be a child again, so I do want to say that I am enjoying this phase with my kids now - looking at the world from their perspective and enjoying life as it should be - with a freshness that only children can show. Enjoyed reading your blog. Thanks. |
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| |  Dear Appa, After a looong time, a blog from you. It was really a treat. I too love these comics on Sunday.... Hagar... is also my favourite and now Deccan Herald is featuring Blondie... Hence it is a must read for me.. Don't tell about Amin Sayani... I am a great fan of his.. who can forget Binaca geet mala and sayani saab... Both were made for each other.. Thanks to those days no TV, hece we could hear to our heart's content all the beautiful songs of yester year melodies... these are still my favourites. When we were young, having a radio itself was a prize possession and mydad never used to allow us to touch that... nowadays kis are born literally with a mobile and a laptop.They are sooo fast in learning these, my dd is the Guru for your friend i.e. my DH, as he fumbles with the new version of Nokia mobile. |
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| |  Dear Cheeniya Sir, What a thought provoking blog in your own inimitable style! You took me down memory lane too when you talked about the dreams of the future in the past! I was an Amin Sayani fan too- Binaca Geet Mala on wednesdays! Can we ever forget it?Some times the power used to go off between 8-9 pm and I used to feel miserable for having to miss Amin Bhai's unique voice! Now we are into a fast paced world where new inventions are happening by the hour! Big bang recreated in a laboratory!As Stephen Hawking had written a book-'Going back in Time' ( Have I correctly named it? Though I read a lot of books I forget the title!) there may be some scientist who would take us into the future in the present! Great Blog! Love, Malathi |
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| | dear cheeniya sir, how true..our visualization of future is indeed different for all of us...mainly can think of it only from our current present...i too used to enjoy binaca geethmala..what a lovely voice he had..for that matter nowadays we never speak of anybodys voice isnt it ..with so many TV channels and hosts...Nice blog regards Mindi |
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| |  My dear SS I have heard a few lectures of Jiddu Krishnamurthy where he reiterated that Time had no segments like Past, Present and Future. Even the Sufis believe that when we elongate the Present to devour the past and the future, it becomes what they call 'Eternal Now' This stage is reached by shifting our psyche from the body level existence to the Spirit level one. These thoughts are all very esoteric. In simple terms, our grandparents' future is our grandchildren's past! Have you ever considered that what we see of a Star that is a billion light years away is how it existed a billion years back? There is nothing more relative than Time is! I wouldn't be surprised if marriage is looked upon as an undesirable 'locking up' of individuals in the centuries to follow. Our mindset remained stationary for over 90% of our history on earth but it is on a tail spin now! As everything else of course! Our most cherished values today are a great devaluation of the values that existed a few hundred years back. You are absolutely right about this subject leading us on to some intense introspection! Sri |
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| | My dear Mol I was once listening to a lecture by the Hon'ble Justice Late Shri ASP Aiyyar when he made a remark about our Gods which still holds my imagination. He said that the Abode of our Gods was the only place that remained unaffected by Future! He was wearing a full suit that evening and he said that his grandfather would never have dreamt that his grandson would remove his 'tuft' and wear clothes of aliens someday! He further lamented that we would never allow any change of fashion in the Abode of Gods where They were made to wear heavy gold ornaments and silk clothings even today! He rued that it was probably because the classification of Time into Past, Present and Future was applicable only to the earthlings. I often let my mind delve into this Time aspect of our existence. When I look at the Stars in the sky, I realise that I am witnessing the Past unfolding right before my eyes! Let us not think of a Star millions of light years away. Take a Star which is about 2000 light years away and you know what incident on earth they would be witnessing from there now? The assassination of Julius Caesar! Our ancient Rishis had the capability to travel back and forth in Time. HG Well's Time Machine may be within the reach of Man in the near future! Sri |
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| |  Good morning Sir. I very much enjoyed reading your blog and it is very timely. A dear friend of mine who is 80 years old was over for a visit recently and she also was talking about such things. She also has an excellent sense of humor and was teasing how she can't stop herself from reading the obituaries for the same reason as you so humorously stated above. Nowadays with work and home and motherhood, my days and nights are a blur sometimes. As Srama said above, this stage in life holds it's own wonder and magic with our children though. I don't want to wish away a single moment of this time, but I admit that part of me can't help looking forward to my own second childhood. :) |
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| | Dear Rama This cartoon strip has made me to realise that the Spring Board for leaping into the Future can only be the Present and not some distant past. As the Present keeps changing, so will the Future be too! It is a matter of high interest how the distance between the Past and Future in relation to the Present will get narrowed down as we remove ourselves far beyond this spectrum just as a soaring bird can witness a much larger area in comparison to a worm in the field. Sri |
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| |  Childhood days are so full of bliss!Dear Cheeniyaji, Reading your blog about second childhood shows how times are changing. After working hard throughout your life, it must be so good to wake up to have a nice cuppa. No need to run to catch a train to work. No deadlines to meet. No angry boss to answer if you are late. Time to catch up on the things you always wanted to do. Life starts again after retirement Cheeniyaji. Regards, Corallux P.S. Loved the picture of you with the little Owlie Chithraji got you. Owl is my fav bird. For me it is a symbol of maturity. |
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| | Dear LS You are right about the modern kids. Nobody says anymore that so and so is born with a Silver spoon in his mouth. The present saying is that so and so is born with a Nokia N series in his hand! It is a pity that we do not have any radios with multiple knobs and buttons. In fact , in those days the quality of a radio was decided by the number of buttons it had! There were even radio sets with individual buttons for selected stations. The panel would include such exotic names like Luxomburg, Rio de Janeiro and Moscow! Of course, the sets would never pick up any of those stations and yet such sets were a status symbol. The Murphy child sucking its thumb used to be a great Brand Equity! Your Appa probably had one of those state of the art radio sets with buttons and knobs all over. No wonder he never allowed you to touch it! Sri |
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| | Dear Malathi I wonder if you are referring to Stephen Hawking's book "A brief history in Time" in which he talks of travelling back in time being possible if we exceed the speed of light! I remember a limerick about it which goes like this: There was a young lady named Bright Whose speed was far faster than light; She went out one day, In a relative way, And returned the previous night! At least in theory, travelling back in Time is possible as of now! Binaca Geet Mala was a trendsetter in the Count down of Musical Hits. The best part was that every song was played in full those days unlike today when you have to suffer all the bragging of DJs just to hear one line of a song. Sometimes these hit parades come with some cheap slapstick in which the hit songs go to the background! The other day, I saw a programme in which the inimitable Amin Sayani gave some useful tips to the modern DJs. The other one was the great Mayilvahanan of Radio Ceylon. When he signed of at 7 pm daily to make way for the Hindi programme, we used to feel sad really! Sri |
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| | Dear Mindi The revival of voice culture seems to be in the offing with the advent of all these FM stations. First, a girl called Suchitra swept us all off our feet with her enthralling voice. Now there are quite a few with very impressive voices. But what you say about voices not playing any significant role any more is very true. We don't even know if the person appearing on TV talks in her/his own voice thanks to all the technological advance in dubbing! Sri |
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| | Dear likemychai That's a unique ID indeed but coming to think of it, everyone likes his chai. It has an intrinsic message too. Everyone should like what he is doing or life won't be fun at all! I totally agree with you that youth is the period when one wishes that the days had more than 24 hours. There is so much to do and so little time for it! But let me tell you that every stage in life holds its own wonders and paucity of time is a perpetual problem for an active mind. Our life progresses only when the Time flies. When it slows down, it would only mean that we are nearing our inevitable destination! Sri |
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| | Dear Corallux These deadlines are unique things. When we are young and professionally active, they relate to very mundane things. When we cross the 2/3rd mark, we suddenly find the focus of the deadline shifting from the mundane to the spiritual. Our professional and domestic bosses slowly fade away from the scene to be replaced by the most awesome of all the bosses, namely, our conscience or if you prefer to call it so, our God. If it is time to make amends for our errors of the past, the deadline can become very intimidating. If one has led a fairly clean life right through, the deadline may not be there at all! Life does not start 'again' after retirement. It starts afresh. And thank you for the nice comment about me and the Owl! Sri |
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| | Dear Cheeniya Sir, Thank you for giving the correct name of the book. Yes I was referring to that book only. Once again you made me nostalgic with your limericks and also your mention of 'Mayilvahanan'. I too loved listening to the Tamil movie songs broadcast by Srilanka broadcasting corporation. The RJs and VJs come nowhere near the two stalwarts of those days what with their kiddish style of speaking and Tamil interspersed English. They fail pathetically! Love, Malathi Dear Malathi I wonder if you are referring to Stephen Hawking's book "A brief history in Time" in which he talks of travelling back in time being possible if we exceed the speed of light! I remember a limerick about it which goes like this: There was a young lady named Bright Whose speed was far faster than light; She went out one day, In a relative way, And returned the previous night! At least in theory, travelling back in Time is possible as of now! Binaca Geet Mala was a trendsetter in the Count down of Musical Hits. The best part was that every song was played in full those days unlike today when you have to suffer all the bragging of DJs just to hear one line of a song. Sometimes these hit parades come with some cheap slapstick in which the hit songs go to the background! The other day, I saw a programme in which the inimitable Amin Sayani gave some useful tips to the modern DJs. The other one was the great Mayilvahanan of Radio Ceylon. When he signed of at 7 pm daily to make way for the Hindi programme, we used to feel sad really! |
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| |  Dear Sri, the statement " ‘I guess the future isn’t what it used to be’! " is profound, specially in the present-day context. When we were young who ever heard of different types of cancer, sudden massive heart attack,Alzheimer’s disease, dymentia..... etc? It looked as though people died "naturally" from a disease the name of which was familiar to us. Alas, now no more! The longevity becoming more because of medical innovations, really scares me sometimes.The inevitable fear that we may become physically dependant on others, starts gripping us.Our forefathers had their children to take care of them. The spiralling cost of commodities makes us juggle our limited interest-income and expenditure. With nucleus family around us, the future does look bleak to me, definitely. I too feel like saying " future is not what it used to be" ! Love, Chithra. |
| Updated 8th October 2008 at 10:52 AM by Chitvish |
| | Dear Chithra I am sorry that I missed this FB of yours. As a matter of fact, I had given up my blog as dead after the initial rush of FBs. As you have rightly pointed out, no name can be adduced to this fatality of blogs either! Dont you worry! The scientists are already on the right track as regards anti-aging but what is so great about it? Even in the previous Yuga, people lived upto 200 years or more! At the Satya Yuga, the life span was 400 years! Our efforts to increase our life span amount only to rewriting man's history through the Yugas! I guess that the scientists will find a way for us to remain active for a correspondingly longer period in their efforts to increase our life span. Otherwise what is the use in living up to 150 years if we have to spend the final 60 or 70 years in bed staring at the ceiling? I am of the view that what matters finally is not how long we live but how well we live. Sri |
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| |  Dear Cheeniya Sir I enjoyed reading your blog. You have rightly said it is not how long we live and how well we live. I am also in my second childhood. Though by age I am old I am young at heart. We look back to the days of childhood as of greatest happiness, because those were the days of greatest wonder, greatest simplicity and most vigorous imagination. This was said by someone. I was also a great fan of Amin Sayani and used to wait for Wednesday to hear the songs and his voice. with kind regards viji |
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Recent Blog Entries by Cheeniya
- Daddy, daddy, oh my daddy! (21st October 2008)
- My second childhood! (6th October 2008)
- Living with my heart (3rd April 2008)
- The aging ship sets sail again (18th March 2008)
- The poetry bug has bitten me too! (10th March 2008)
