No IPhones, Ipad or Blackworry (!); the only notebooks we knew were the ones in the school bag. The technology that we knew was the compass box that opened up and down - both sides. Doordarshan, thank you. You were a true entertainer; Monday to Sunday! We respected; mostly NOT out of fear. We didn't grow up fast; there was an innocence even in the "crush" we had on that girl studying in the school next door. We played. To our hearts content. In the sun. On winter mornings. On a very heavy rainy day. In the open air. We played. And won. And lost. And drew. Games were played in their true spirit, where winning wasn't every thing; it taught us that life's greatest pleasures come from small things celebrated in the spirit of togetherness! We celebrated birthdays in class; and eagerly awaited the toffees we would get post the birthday song - how sweet they tasted! After all, the size of a gift is immaterial; it's the warmth with which it is presented that matters! We stood in queues; sometimes serpentine. Of course, a few "broke the line" and went ahead; it was fine - we learnt to LET GO! We prayed together in the assembly hall where "talking" wasn't allowed; helps me listen. Now. Some were average; a handful struggled to keep pace; a few excelled with "exemptions from the final exam". Awe, yes. Insecurity, no. We thanked. We respected. Maa. Dad. Teachers. Father. Friends. We cycled. Band Stand. Nibana. Turner Road. We challenged one another to cycle uphill on Carter Road; we had arrived long before the Khans! Uncle's frankie outside the Metro shoe shop (no showroom!) on Linking Road or a hot plate of "idli" at Pamposh was so gratifying! Patwardhan Park was the place to "hang out" for a game of cricket and football; it was "so crowded" and still we managed to make "space" for ourselves and our team mates - not the best pitch, but it was fine! A quick "glance" at the English movie "posters" at New Talkies (now Globus) when mom wasn't looking; the "aesthetic" appeal to nudity was yet to arrive then! Life. Lived. At School. At home. When kids didn't grow up fast. Those days. In the 1970s. In the 1980s.