Reliving Malgudi..

"Ta na na tana nana na..Ta na na tana nana na".. A simple melody without words but it was just enough to remind us that it's Wednesday night and Malgudi days is on air. Starting with the music and then with the cartoons, the serial used to evoke such an immense feeling of joy within us that you would willingly cut down on your evening dose of cricket and finish your homework before hand rather than miss it for some reason. Maybe it was the stories or maybe it was the way it was told.. it was something we could all relate to. Swami with his cricket and schoolwork, friends and his school masters.. The stories were set in a different era but still it had that unusual charm and freshness that could transcend time and space. Moreover it portrayed South India at it's best..Traditional brahmin people with the sacred ash smeared on their foreheads, pretty girls with jasmine flowers in their long hair,filter coffee, the concept of tiffin with steaming hot idlis and sambar and then those temples..the entire package was simply irresistible to us living in Delhi.

Went this weekend to forum with some friends and as usual found myself gravitating towards Landmark.. Got tonnes of books to read at home but still could not resist picking up "Swami and Friends". Maybe it reminds me of a bygone era when things were so much simpler or maybe it reminds me of my childhood.. those distant strains still continue to haunt me .."Ta na na tana nana na..Ta na na tana nana na" :)