Page 20 - Seniors Today Febuary 2020
P. 20
Love
Cover Feature | First Person I
Like
Sex
Adore
The first crush, the first kiss and the first time and the first heartbreak are forever
memories. By Vickram Sethi
Of all the rituals of love, the first date is perhaps manufactured fan belts and their tagline was “fit
the most paramount. The first crush, the first & forget” and among the boys fenner was a code.
kiss and the first time are forever memories. (F***k and Forget) Most of the boys would brag
Dating in the 1970s was a very difficult affair. For about having sex while 90% of it was just faff. No
a girl, her object was to find a good match while girl would sleep with a boy until he put a ring on
the boy’s intention was probably to have a good her finger. However, a boy’s virility/macho-ness
time. Practically 90% of dating opportunities was counted by the number of girls he could
originated in college. A boy would ask a girl out get or who wanted to go out with him. And a lot
at a college social and that would lead to a movie depended on how much money he could spend
or coffee. It also began as a group activity - boys whether he had a bike or a car.
and girls would go out together and eventually Every college had a social where boys and girls
a couple would “find” each other. If a guy had got together danced and made new friends. These
a car or a bike, it was an added advantage. It socials were held twice a year. The common
took almost two to three outings just to hold her phrase among boys in those days was “nayi gilli
hand and only if she was convinced that the guy naya daau” – the art of Gilli Danda. So where did
would marry her, he was “allowed” to cuddle and one go on a date? Ideally it was the corner seats in
smooch. a movie theatre – Strand, Regal, New Empire, or
Eros. But if the couple were in a mood to cuddle
The big fear – it was the box in Opera House, old Excelsior
Sex was out of bounds. The fear of pregnancy and theatre, Borivali National Park or a little Irani
loss of reputation was a huge thing at the back of restaurant which had a family room. Then came
her mind – “what if the boy did a fenner on me.” the drive-in theatre in BKC and if you could
Back in those days Fenner was a company that afford it, there was a disco in Kala Ghoda called
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