The Glorious 90's

Recently, while on a drive cum trek, 3 of our gang of 4 were my age. I played my famous best off 90s CD and all three of us sang along. The 4th Guy (18 year old) was just bored. Got me thinking on weather everyone loves the decade they grow up in or is this restricted to us lucky few who got the chance to grow up in the wonderful 90s. Does everyone have difficulty letting go? Is one always biased bout his times being the best?

I personally am convinced that the 90's were the best years to grow up in. I realise the bias in my view. However, let me give you some objective evidence to support my claim. Do feel free to lambast, rip apart, reinforce etc, but in brief.

1. Economy: 
After the gloom of the 80's, the 90's brought hope, the economy opened up... middle class had some money to spend. This was however restricted and the over exuberance of 2000's wasn't there. McDonald's was still a premium brand and a mall still aspirational. A Levis was something to be worn on your birthday and I still remember enjoying my first can of Pepsi for 30 minutes.

2. Television: 
Doordarshan was at its programming best. Also, came the satellite television boom. Programming standards would have only improved since but then again there is too much clutter in the 2000's. Even average programs of that decade like 'Stone boy' remain etched in our memory. The legendary ones like Surabhi will always be revered. Indian private television media was born out of NDTV's 'World this Week. Election coverage saw a new revolution. There was average amount of good television compared to today's good amount of average television. We can even recollect the good commercials of the time. Ask someone to recall an ad from 2005 now.

3. Music:
Undoubtedly the shining star of the decade. 90's positively had the best music. After a very average 80's (how many 80s numbers do u hear on the radio in a month?) 90s got back with a bang. While 70s music is also in a class of its own, what strikes out in the 90s is also the variety. 1990 saw the debut of A R Rahman, of whom, I don't need to say much, except that his freshest n best work came in that decade.
After the false starts of the 80's, 90's also saw the the real start of the indi pop (Baba Sehegal ki jai) and indi rock thanks to MTV and the satellite television. There was finally a platform for the talented musicians who didn't want to do bollywood. Brilliant bands like Euphoria, Silk Route etc came to the fore apart from a large number of one-hit wonders. The Indian rocker got his opportunity (which has finally manifested into success in the next decade). We got a flavour of Pakistani music. English music was no longer restricted to MJ's Thriller. One negative aspect was the rise n rise of bhangda music. Anyone and everyone who knew Punjabi or had set foot in a London pub was suddenly trying to cut an album. Thankfully, only the talented survived.

4. Games:
Growing up in the 90s was the best of both worlds. Television had arrived and thrived but was not all pervasive. Play station did not exist and Attari was not as good. We had enough motivation to go out and play. There weren't enough parks and very few building had its own swimming pool and garden. It was find your own space and make your own game (I never learnt to hit the ball on the leg side and our compound had none). Education was not that cut throat. No day was complete without 2 hours playing down, even if it was the exam week. Kids today don't have the time or inclination to enjoy playing Lagoori, Sankali, Dabba I Spies, Chor police etc. These games built character like no play station ever could.

5. Movies: 
Cant say that the best cinema was made in the 90's. That would be untrue. However, the decade did allow for some flexibility in main stream. Finally the hero could be flawed, the heroine could wear short clothes (thank you Urmila) and not every movie had a villain to be bashed up in the end. Yash Chopra took us all over Europe and Bollywood was suddenly big time into tourism. I would say that a lot of the variety seen in cinema of the 2000's came about due to the small risks taken in the 90's.

6. Fashion: 
No one will dispute this point. After the Bell bottoms of the 70s and the tight white trousers n white shoes of the 80s, the 90s was a big relief. Except for a short craze for pyjamas and shiny leather pants, it was basic denims and floaters. I don't think a lot of us will look back at our childhood and teenage snaps and cringe like our seniors would. The fashion of the 2000s has thankfully not deviated far from this.

7. Literature Books

There certainly were no crosswords and landmark in the 90s. But there was a gr8 exchange market for Enid Blyton's, Hardy Boys and Archie comics. One just needed to buy 1 good book and then exchange it with 10 friends to read 10 more good ones.

All in all, the 90s were certainly the most interesting times to grow up in. Life was not all that tough but things were not always easily available. Hence, our generation grew up more aware, but more responsible.