Memories of simple, unhurried times in Meerut

I miss the Meerut of the seventies and eighties — the city where I transitioned from a shy schoolgirl to a confident young maiden, and which honed my talents and personality.

Home was the serene surroundings of the cantonment, with its clean roads, leafy avenues, and colonial barracks. Life moved slowly — rides in cycle rickshaws to school, evenings in Gandhi Bag, and rare sightings of a car.

Teachers would sometimes take us to watch English films being screened at the Palace Cinema.

There was also Crystal’s Summer Delight ice creams — a creamy mango could be indulged at ₹1.50, licked slowly, so that the flavours would linger on.

King Bakers’ pineapple pastry, too, offered pure decadence. The vibrant Nauchandi Mela, with its delicious attraction of halwa-parantha and thrilling rides, was a yearly highlight. Ram Sahay’s mava gajak and prayers at Kali Paltan temple added to the charms of that simple life. In the era of Instagram reels, I long to return to those unhurried chapters of life, when everything felt richer and memories lasted longer.

Dr Preeti Talwar, Chandigarh