Golden days of the pas

In these golden days of the past when there were no mobile phones, no social media, no Facebook and no WhatsApp, we were closer to each other.

There was no direct dialing system, so you had to talk to the telephone operator first and ask for your desired number. Advance booking was required to speak to another city.

Was it a strange romance that as soon as the telephone rang, all of us siblings would try to get the honor of picking up the receiver. If there was a phone in our house in the whole neighborhood, then the people of the neighborhood would also use this facility like 'PCO'. They would talk to their loved ones and we would be very happy. In those days, there was no question of compensation.

It was our only home in the entire Shams Colony where the first television came. In early 1988, Abu brought a four-foot-long black and white TV in a wooden box. In the summer it was considered a great torment to take him out of the room and keep him in the courtyard, so every evening two people were assigned to take turns. The only channel was PTV. Broadcasting would begin at 3 p.m. During this time, mats were spread in front of the beds by spraying in the courtyard in the evening.

Children's programs would end at four to five o'clock in the evening, drama at eight o'clock, a newsletter at nine o'clock, and broadcasts at eleven o'clock at night, 'Waris,' The women and children of the neighborhood used to come to our house to watch dramas like 'Ahat', 'Ainak Wala Jin' and 'Guest House'. During this period, Pakistani television drama had captivated its viewers. Back then, our feature films were also a manifestation of civilized life and, to a large extent, general politeness.

The PTV drama was entertaining as well as a great mentor, preacher and reformer in terms of social training. Tariq Aziz's Auction House program was aired on PTV every Thursday and then an Urdu movie would also be aired late at night. Good Friday was a weekly public holiday.