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India Today
20-05-2025
- India Today
The lost summers of 'Naani Ka Ghar': What 90s kids had that Gen Z doesn't
In the India of the 1990s, summer vacation didn't begin when the last exam ended. It began with a question whispered in excitement-"Kab jaa rahe ho Naani ke ghar?"That one destination held the power to transform two plain months into a magical saga. Whether it was Kanpur, Coimbatore, Bhubneshwar or Bhopal, Naani ka ghar was the annual pilgrimage of joy. Trains were booked months in advance. Cousins were counted. Gifts were packed. The smell of mangoes and pickle-making would hit you the moment you entered the house. There were no resorts, no five-star itineraries. Just a floor to sleep on, ten people in one room, and a kind of happiness that came from shared meals, shared stories, and shared TRAIN JOURNEY WAS THE VACATION Back in the 90s, the summer vacation didn't start at the destination-it began the moment we boarded the train. Mothers would pack steel tiffin boxes with aloo-puri and mango pickle wrapped in newspaper. A bottle of water from home and a stash of Tinkle, Champak, or Chacha Chaudhary comics kept us entertained long before smartphones ever was always that one chatty co-passenger who would share stories, snacks, or sometimes even life advice. And then, as the train neared the final stop, the real excitement kicked in. We'd stand by the open door two stations before, faces lit up with the rush of wind and anticipation, looking out for familiar landmarks, shouting, "Agla station Naani ke ghar hai!" That thrill-the kind that came with no seatbelts, no selfies, just pure, unfiltered joy-is what many kids today might never THE FIRST AND FOREVER GANG advertisement Cousins weren't distant relatives; they were your friend , philosopher and guide. Summer was your yearly reunion-one long sleepover that lasted weeks. You didn't need a Netflix account when you had seven cousins, each funnier than the played cards, you fought over ludo, you took turns on the bicycle with a broken pedal, and you never needed an adult to keep you THEN, CAME THE ULTIMATE GAME: DARK ROOM. A game that turned ordinary rooms into haunted mansions. Lights off. Curtains drawn. One person blindfolded. Everyone else hiding behind curtains, under beds, behind doors. Shrieks, giggles, accidental bumps, and the thrill of being "caught" - all in the name of innocent NIGHT SHIFT: GHOST STORIES UNDER BLANKETS Once the power went out (and it always did), a new ritual began. You gathered under mosquito nets or on the terrace, under a blanket of stars, listening to someone-usually the eldest cousin-whisper ghost stories. Some were made up, some inherited from older cousins, all older cousin would whisper ghost stories that he claimed were true. We were petrified, but no one left the circle. That's how memories were made-no filter, no phone, just fear and fun," -laughs Maitreyee Ghosh, a writer and mom of a result? Nobody wanted to use the bathroom alone, and everyone ended up sleeping in a huddle. But oh, this fear created memories instead of THIS GENERATION IS MISSING Fast-forward to today:Naani ke ghar is now a video are scattered across cities, countries, and school is filled with structured productivity-online courses, hobby workshops, and carefully planned of playing dark room, kids play Call of of ghost stories, they watch horror shorts on real loss? Connection. Chaos. generation may have better gadgets, but they've missed out on the warmth of sleeping next to five cousins on a mattress on the floor, stealing mangoes from the kitchen, or laughing until your stomach hurt because someone farted during the 90s, the extended family played a central role in raising children, and summer vacations were often seen as a time to strengthen those bonds-especially through long stays at grandparents' homes with cousins. But with rising urban migration, the growth of nuclear families, and increasing career demands, many parents today opt for experiential or aspirational getaways-be it resorts, beaches, or amusement parks-as a way to compensate for limited family time," explains Ms. Kshitija Sawant, University Psychologist-Counselor at Somaiya Vidyavihar adds, "We are living in a hi-tech, AI-driven world where aligning with global trends has become the norm. This shift toward Western models of development has restructured traditional family systems-many children now grow up in nuclear or single-parent households, often without siblings or close relatives nearby. As a result, the focus for parents has moved away from fostering extended family bonds to prioritizing physical growth, personality development, and skill-building. Enrolling children in courses, bootcamps, or summer camps is now seen not just as productive, but also as a marker of economic prosperity and modern parenting."advertisementWHY WE STILL CRAVE THAT TIME Ask anyone who grew up in the 90s, and they'll tell you: no vacation, no foreign trip, no five-star experience compares to the joy of a summer spent with your entire ecosystem under one roof."The things we remember from childhood aren't the gadgets. They're the moments. The stories. The mess. I want my kids to have that,"-says Nidhi Arora, a schoolteacher in We Bring Some of That Back?Maybe we can't fully recreate those 90s summers, but we can revive parts of that train ride. Visit Naani without an cousins together for a few days, no screens, no your kids to dark room, chor-police, or storytelling fix their boredom-let them sit in it. That's where imagination is born."We recently stayed with my wife's family for a week. My 9-year-old daughter said it was the best part of her year-just being with her cousins. That made me realise how starved this generation is for unstructured joy,"-shares Abhishek Dubey, a 90s kid-turned-parent from themselves, when given a taste of the old-school summer, light Can't Stream a Memory Today's kids may never know the joy of getting 5 rupees from Naani to buy orange bar ice cream, or the mischief of secretly using her talcum powder to play 'shaadi shaadi'. But maybe, if we pause, unplug, and let go of the urge to fill every hour with a purpose, we can give them a taste of what we the greatest summer memories are not made in malls or on tablets. They're made under fans with no speed regulator, in homes with too many people and too little space-but hearts overflowing with Reel
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Air India partners with Vobble for in-flight entertainment for kids
Air India has entered into a partnership with Vobble, an audio OTT platform. As part of this association Vobble will be offering screen-free entertainment to children on Air India flights. With this collaboration in place, Vobble will be offering engaging storytelling to kids aged 4 to 12. This library is accessible on Air India's wireless inflight entertainment service, Vista Stream, and offers over 20 hours of specially curated audio entertainment across a variety of genres. Operation Sindoor 'Operation Sindoor still ongoing': Rajnath Singh at all-party meet Operation Sindoor: Several airports in India closed - check full list Op Sindoor: 3 explosions rock Lahore, flight ops temporarily halted Through Vobble, Air India's Vista Stream wireless in-flight entertainment service will feature over 20 hours of specially curated audio content, including: Dawson Diggs & The Dino Gigs – A prehistoric adventure for science-loving kids. Suppandi Stories – Hilarious misadventures of the beloved Tinkle comic character. Shambu's Adventures – Thrilling tales of the accidental hero from Tinkle comics. Mr. Filth – A fun-filled series teaching kids about cleanliness. Q-rious Katz – A trivia-based game show designed to spark curiosity. The initiative addresses concerns about excessive screen time, offering a captivating audio experience that keeps children entertained while traveling. Available on both short-haul and long-haul flights, the Vobble library ensures that young passengers remain engaged throughout their journey. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
The Guardian
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Xhosa Cole: On a Modern Genius (Vol 1) review
Few have doubted that African American pianist/composer Thelonious Monk was a genius of modern music, as this album title attests, but the acclaimed 28-year-old Birmingham-born saxophonist Xhosa Cole catches Monk's wild spirit as well as the legacy of his great compositions. Ever since Monk's emergence among the midnight-jamming subversives of jazz's revolutionary early-1940s bebop movement, his rhythmically jagged, melodically circuitous music was revered – and even feared – by improvisers. His playing would ascend, only to suddenly stop with a crash or jump a sudden chasm; he would lay harmonic booby-traps that invited escapes in shambling melodic runs. Even the great John Coltrane described missing a Monk chord change as like falling into an empty elevator shaft. But Cole will surprise even the most devout buffs, and hook the most unsuspecting of jazz newbies too. Cole accelerates the opening Trinkle, Tinkle into a whooping clamour of figures resolving on a dark, grouchily slurred low note, then elides the details of the composition without losing any of its ingenious design. An unusual lineup features a dynamically empathic guitarist in Steve Saunders, and the percussion is shared between drummer Nathan England Jones and the sharp chatter of Brooklyn tap dancer Liberty Styles' feet. Rhythm-a-ning opens on wriggling free-tenor figures before the melody emerges – first faithfully, then slewing and loose – and Misterioso enters on bassist Josh Vadiveloo's muscular solo pizzicato before the dreamy tenor theme. Criss Cross segues into Round Midnight before ending up at Brilliant Corners, and Cinematic Orchestra singer Heidi Vogel unwraps a majestic account of Duke Ellington's Come Sunday before a quietly ecstatic tenor-sax odyssey at the end. An erudite young sax master, Cole sounds as if he's already way down the road, but with plenty of fascinating detours to go. UK double-bassist/composer Misha Mullov-Abbado sidestepped his illustrious classical-musical parentage and found his own contemporary-musical path in 2014, and with his fourth album, Effra (Ubuntu Records), he unveils an autobiographically heartfelt mix of hard-boppish and traditionally swinging grooves, minimalism and Latin jazz from his A-list London band. Long-running Norwegian piano trio In the Country (including Susanna and the Magical Orchestra's Morten Qvenild) is joined by imaginative guitarist Knut Reiersrud, the crystal-clear vocals of Solveig Slettahjell, and recitations by Sidsel Endresen on Remembrance (Jazzland). Qvenild's compositions and Reiersrud's shimmering guitar sounds create luminously delicate contemporary settings for poems by the Brontë sisters and Emily Dickinson, and if jazz and improv aren't exactly conspicuous, this soundscape owes a lot to them. German pianist/composer Julia Hülsmann continues to be one of the quietly ascending stars of the ECM label's roster, with her regular band plus Norwegian trumpeter Hildegunn Øiseth (captivatingly applying electronics to both the conventional instrument and to Norway's goat horn) on the playful and haunting Under the Surface.
