Nostalgia Rant

2-Jan-2025

It’s 03:24, and I’m listening to Kuch Is Tarah, feeling all kinds of nostalgia. Even though I don’t have a specific memory associated with the song, it takes me back to my childhood days in Pakistan between 2006 and 2008.

It reminds me of my weekly trips to my Naani’s house. There used to be a cassette player with a whole speaker system attached to it. My cousin and I would keep playing different cassettes and listening to various songs. Two songs that I remember clearly are Tere Bin and Bulla Ki Jaana. We would also sometimes dial random numbers and blabber the most random stuff. This is how we used to spend time back then.

Before going to bed, we would watch Aahat or Ssshhhh… Phir Koi Hai, with all the cousins sleeping together in the TV lounge. The best thing was that no one was distracted or busy with their phones. Everyone was present and connected in that moment. We experienced everything together. Nowadays, people watch movies, songs, and TV shows on their own, so you don’t create shared memories with anyone while watching them.

Whenever I think of Dill Mill Gayye, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, Miley Jab Hum Tum, CID, Amber Dhara, and countless other shows, I don’t remember the plots as much as I remember the setting in which I watched them and the people I watched them with. Everyone was fully invested, sharing their reactions in real time.

I miss that.

Let me know if you also get bouts of nostalgia every now and then. Thanks!