Rummaging through memories

Some things are forever. 

You store them, you do not throw them.

I came home after two months, even when workplace is just about 8 hours away.

This time, I kept in mind that I need to sort out things staying latent at home for so many years. Mom has been feeling me for months on, "Son, get sorted out. We cannot keep all of the items." I had assured her, the next time I came home, I will do it. But each time I came, other chores made me keep the sorting aside.

This time, it was do or throw situation. I had to sort them. So today morning, putting on a surgical mask, I started rummaging through stuff one by one.

First came old bills and tags. I have a habit of keeping very old bills, years old. The ink on the bills has even lost its poatience. Another thing I keep dearly are those colourful small paper tags that come with any item; clothe tags, shoe tags, electronic item tags. I also keep all packets and cartons of every item. Stacks had collected and it was time I let go of them. 

With a heavy heart, I checked each faded bill, each tags, each packet. Satisfied, I put them one by one into a trash bag. I let go those perfect packaging of hard-board cartons of Hard disks, power bank, charger box, even pen drive packets. I tore off those bills of clothes purchased long long ago. Even the strings that come with the paper tags were released into oblivion. I bade them good bye. I let go some materialistic possessions. There were three trash bags stuffed with all such items. Mom was happy, of course. I finally kept my promise.

Then came the best part. In fact, I can divide the best in two halves: CDs and Cassettes. During 90s and mid 00s, we had cassettes to listen to music of our favourite movies and bands. from early 00s to early 10s, we had CDs to play movies in our bulky CD players to enjoy in TV and also in big computers. 

CDs had become and integral part of our live just like smartphones have now. You buy a CD or rent it, but you played movies at home. I have a small but decent collection of Hollywood movies mostly from the last two decades. I have collection of Spiderman trilogy, X-Men trilogy, Terminator trilogy, The Matrix trilogy, most of Harry Potter films. 

Some standalone films like Legendary of Extraordinary Gentleman, Saturday Night Fever, Argo, Step Up, Cloud Atlas, King Kong etc. I still remember, my eldest uncle had given me one thousand rupees after matriculation exam. I straight away went to a music/movie shop and bought the first four films of Harry Potter. 

Then there are also Bollywood CDs spanning decades, the oldest being most probably Sholay. As a family of three, we used enjoying films like Sholay, Main Hoon Naa, Don, Rang De Basanti, Krish. and Bhool Bhlaiya. I and Dad used to yell and shout when Gabbar's Kitney Aadmi they and ye hate much de de Thakur dialouge scene played during the runtime of Sholay. Father used to cry each time after watching Taare Zameen Par. Main hoo Naa's raised our spirits.

I used to purchase CDs for some time after father passed away. He was no more there to accompany me as I watched movies. Just me and the TV screen glowing on my face. By the beginning of mid 10s I stopped purchasing them altogether.  I cannot remember the last time I purchased a CD or a DVD. 

Those moments never got photographed. I just have them in the hidden corners of my memory. Sometimes I chance to watch Taare Zameen par, I remember Dad sitting beside me silently and tear drops flowing down his cheeks. I see him admiring Sushmita Sen while watching Main Hoo Naa. We had become friends during my Teens. We used to do what friends do. He was my Dad but more a friend.  

I brushed my fingers through the CD and DVD packets, scanning the title of movies engraved in the spine of each box. The touch gave me jolts of memories. Sweet, long and forgotten memories flashed in front of me. The brain opened files and folders kept inside multitude of folders. Decade of old times.
  

I cannot throw them. They are not just materialistic possessions. These CD and DVDs have more than just that. I associate so much memories with them, If I discard them or give it to someone else, I am discarding my memories. 

Can I do that? No, I cannot not. Period. 

Each of us, associate memories with objects. For me it is these CDs and DVDs; for other it may be books, it may be clothes or even a car. They are a part of us growing up with. You do not just leave them behind. You keep them close to your heart. 

Now comes the biggest memory of all. The one to rule them all. The cassettes. Those tiny little rectangular plastic objects having two sides, A&B, and a dark brown reel circling from one sprocket to the other as the songs of Side A played to its end. 

The pencil was the best friend of a cassette. Reel comes out and become tangled, the pencil was the solution. Just drive the pencil through the gear of the wheel and voila; the cassette is as new as it was on its first day. 

We had an Onida 2 in 1 payer to play them cassettes. I loved Sony Walkman. But Sony being expensive, I got a Philips walkman. Attaching the clip of the walkman to belt of my pant or just stuffing in the pocket of shorts, I used to plug the earphones into the ear all evening strolling the rooms and balcony of our home. 

After Matriculation, we went to Dad's ancestral home. On our journey through bus, I brought few cassettes and the walkman. It was 2006, Rang De Basanti just released. The soulful songs kept me from being bored in that tiresome journey in a rickety bus with added bonus of the broken roads. Then there was Bas Ek Pal, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Backstreet Boys, Westlife. 

I had to convince mom to not discard them. I understand we need to discard many things. We cannot just keep everything. But Cassettes, no way. We have to keep them.

They no longer make cassettes today. It has become old technology. It had reached its oblivion long ago. And that is the very reason, I cannot discard cassettes. They are a vintage. If you lose them, they are gone, forever. You may not even find your favourite numbers in a flea market or antiques shop. 

So, I have kept them. Reels do not get destroyed easily If we keep them safe. And who knows, after another 10 years, one day by chance, we may play them and relive our times of yore.  

I even found three-four floppy disks. Can you imagine it, Floppy Disks! Those 2.5 mb storage media where I may still have word files of my school physics, chemistry, biology and computer projects. I do have a floppy disk player in my 16 year old desktop computer. It still runs Windows XP Service pack 3 smooth as butter.

The 2 in 1 player, the walkman, the desktop, they may be slow but are strong pieces of hardware. Those Cassettes, CD, DVD and also Floppy disks, they are reminders of how music and movies feel in the palm of our hand. We were able to touch music and hold movies like we hug our best friends.

Damn, I'm keepin y'all of them. Ain't there no way, I am throwin 'em. 

Cliched but true: Old is Gold. 

Photo courtesy: Pexels