Blast from the past!

Yesterday I went to this adorable little place for dinner. It’s called “Not Just Paranthas” and is in GK II M-Block Market. Its décor talks of times I have never seen and places I have never seen. It’s set in the past (with a few modern variations, of course), with the old doors and windows, a rendering of the famous “Paranthe waali gali” covering a whole wall, bolsters for those who want them, the old red and black streetlights set in the corners of the room, and old film posters on the walls! Their waiters are dressed like postmen, complete with jholas. The music they play is from the yesteryears. Not even remixes of old numbers are entertained.
One of the modern variations includes a chuski bar. And the chuskis aren’t the usual blobs of ice that you dip into your glass; they’re more like slushes. But pretty good stuff. And the food…! Oh, it was to die for! There’s a catch, however; No alcohol and no smoking. I thought that this might take the edge off the place, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s definitely worth the abstinence for a few hours.
While sitting there, I found myself floating back into the past and wondering what life used to be like then…did people really fly kites all evening for entertainment? Did they wander around paranthe waali gali and make an outing of it? The old streetlights are my personal favorite. Imagine a road lit only by these little dim black and red lights. It’s straight out of Fairyland! These are things that I have never seen, but would have loved to. Hell, I don’t even remember the old televisions that came in wooden cabinets! Am I missing out because I don’t know about these things? Or am I privileged because I know about other things? Is emailing an adequate substitute for evenings of socializing on people’s terraces?
I guess I’ll never know; but yes, I do wish I could go back in time and take a look at what life used to be like for people then. And yes, I am a romantic!