As I age, I get a feeling that I am becoming more and more nostalgic about the simple life, limited number of options and opportunities that were present, good food, clean environment, closer interactions with people and less of noise and emissions that electronic-mechanical machines cause. The recent trip to my hometown has already made me even more wistful, in fact. However, ‘change’ is must for the humanity to progress and… sigh… I have to live with the present.
As for my childhood to college life, I have so many things to share some of which was mentioned in a recent post on this blog. Today’s post is about some of those great old brands and products that have been part of our lives during the 70s and 80s. Of course, some of them are still being produced and sold but have transformed for good while many of them have been discontinued. Here are the things that I am talking about:
1. Parry’s Green hard candy
Unfortunately I do not have a picture of this but I am sure anybody in their 30s and 40s must have eaten whole lot of them during their childhood. These candies – known as ‘Green Parry’ (‘Paccha pyaari’ in Malayalam) – was among the four or five wrapped candy options that we had at that time apart from those local made ‘uncovered’ ones. I remember, Parry’s competitor Nutrine introducing an imitation of the same several years later.
The Parry’s Confectionery ltd company was taken over by ‘Lotte ’several years back and this particular product has been discontinued since then, I believe.
2. Hero Pens
As far as I am concerned, this is the ONLY Made in China product that I have ever liked in my whole life and it was my first Chinese experience as well. Unlike today’s children, we never got to use the ball point pen
s until the age of 12 (or sixth grade) on account of ‘bad hand writing’ resulting from ball point pens. Most of us started our writing with cheaper ‘Bismi’ or ‘Jubilee’ fountain pens and then progressed to using the Hero Pens (fondly called ‘Heero pena’ In Malayalam. Many of us in fact get to use it only for exams – for some not until the SSLC examination – and it was indeed a super smooth experience to use them. Mostly people used to get these pens as gifts from those who worked in the Gulf countries but later on they were available in shops for Rs.25 or so in stationery shops.
The hero pens were cool due to their smooth quality of writing and the ability to fill ink via a cool press-suction operation. Old time pens had to be filled via direct pouring of the ink and we used to end up having the ink spilled on the floor as well as on our shirts.
As I moved to college, the Hero pen gave way to Pilots, Parkers and Sheaffers but the Hero fountain pen was always my hero!
3. Happy T-shirts
Now, this one is tricky and probably only Malayalis will understand what I am talking about. During those days mostly there would be at least one Keralite from every other household working in the Gulf countries (Generalized as ‘Persia’) and they make a visit once in every four or five years. At that time, everyone in the family – to the n’th relationship level – neighborhood and the village need to be gifted something or other. Cigarettes, cheap perfume sprays and synthetic clothe material or saris that will last beyond five generations were some of the cheaper options to keep everyone happy. Among these gifts, the kids usually gets the so-called “Happy T-shirt” which is nothing but a round neck T-shirt made of cheap synthetic fabric and a big H A P P Y written on it in a semi circle. We kids were, indeed, very happy to get them as gifts and would proudly wear them till they wore out. Those who wear Happy Tees were identified as the Gulf fellow’s son or relative.
(Several years later somebody revealed to me that a dozen of them would cost only something like 5 Dirhams or so and that’s how the poor Gulf Malayali could afford to buy them for everyone of our age group in that village. By the way, I do not know the actual the brand name of this T-shirt but it was always known as Happy shirt)
4. Chelpark Ink
I used the Chelpark ink for several years, I would say till I got my first job but had totally forgotten about it until my co-brother Manoj reminded me of that brand last week. In fact, that was the inspiration behind this post.
5. Camel instrument box
The camel brand of math instrument box is no brainer. Camel is still a leading brand in India for stationery and art-craft supplies. However, during our school days it was something big and getting a Camel box was an ultimate achievement in one’s otherwise limited wish list. Some of us get them during fifth or sixth grade and had to use the same till you pass out of 10th standard. Many times, the original paper sleeve wrapper around the box would be preserved intact for many years in order to protect the precious box from losing any of its print work on the surface.
For those who couldn’t afford to spend two rupees more, there were brands like ‘Nataraj’ and the twin-brother of Camel was the ‘Camlin’ brand of instrument boxes.
6. Premier rubber slippers
Talking about these Hawai chappals, most Malayalis wore them to school, colleges or even to work. And like their ultra white dhotis (Mundu), these slippers used to be maintained ultra clean was well. The jobless and educated mallu’s main hobby – apart from discussing international politics and Hartal or Bandh opportunities – those days was cleaning own slippers not just from the top but from sides and bottom as well.
I have used this brand of slippers for many years and I still have a pair of Paragon at home.
7. Murphy radios
These radios also had external antenna fittings and sometimes sporting a long mesh antenna – stretching from one end of the house to the other – was considered something royal. Due to issues in tuning or reception, most of the radio stations then used to sound like the distant Ceylon station. The cold starts used to be almost impossible and needed some heating via incandescent bulbs and occasional taps (out of frustration as well) on its wooden cabinet. Usually to listen to the 12:50 noon news (called Delhi news), one had to start preparing at around 12:30 itself.
Despite all the above issues, it was fun to see and listen to such a Murphy radio. And I almost forgot to mention the Murphy logo which had a sweet baby’s face.
Does anyone still have a vintage radio at your home?
8. Dyanora TV sets
Though I never ever liked Dyanora as a brand, I think it was one of the household names during those days and I remember it as the first TV I ever watched.
9. Vijay Super Scooter
Well, in a comment within my post about the Bajaj Chetak Scooter, I had mentioned about the Vijay super scooter. I learned riding on a Vijay super which is a discontinued model for years now. It was in fact something that looked like a Lamby and would run on a half-petrol half-kerosene mix. Though, this combination meant starting trouble and occasional ‘fut-phut’ sounds, I always remember it as the first geared two-wheeler I have ridden in my life not to forget the Luna moped which I had tried prior to that.
10. Tinopal
Now, how many of you can guess what it was? Tinopal (later it became Ranipal) was one of the clothe whitening agents (like Ujala) that I have seen my mother using during my childhood. It always amazed me because a drop of it was good enough for a bucketful of white clothes to make it surprisingly sparkling and smelling good. Its fragrance was similar to that of the modern fabric conditioners but I believe it was far superior. Sometimes, I just don’t understand why such brands were discontinued.
By the way, I managed to Google out this newspaper ad announcing the brand name change – Tinopal to Ranipal
Over to you
I am sure all of you have plenty to talk about those retro brands. I still have many in my list but some of them that I haven’t directly consumed or experienced.
Let me know if you have any pleasant memories to share about those products or old brands that you have seen, used or experienced 20 or 30 years (or even before) back!
Nice to read your list. I still remember how excited I was when I visited Madras and found that Parry’s was a major bus stand there. And yes, Hero pens, Chelpark ink (still have one bottle with me, just nostalgia) and we had the Dyanora TV shown in your picture. Radio was Philips (which could be in the attic still) and scooter was Bajaj. Also remember how much I hated the change in name to Ranipal. Thought it was so not-cool, and hated how the old jingle sounded with Ranipal instead of Tinopal. Somehow “Ranipal, ranipal, ranipal…” just didnt sound right.
@C.Mathai, you are welcome. Yes, Philips/Bajaj were the other alternatives which were even more successful. And you are bang on about the Tinopal to Ranipal renaming. I somehow liked Tinopal a lot and that ad jingle as well.
Thanks for the article. I actually stumbled upon it when I was trying to find the fountain pens I used in 90s 🙂 Thank you! I was struggling to remember the brand name!
My dad had a Vijay delux (not super). I even remember the registration number DHZ 5194 in Delhi, Oswal sweaters, Relaxo chappals, softdrinks like Goldspot, Double 7, Thrill, original “lime and lemony” Limca, Campa cola, ice cream like Gaylord, Vadilal & Kwality..the former has disappeared, TV sets were Weston, Bush, Dynora, Keltron etc..the first generation was “Hybrid” & newer version was “solid state”..overheard when the TV mechanic spoke to my dad while working with large glass tubes & soldering connection etc. TV had a vertical & a horizontal hold knobs, to keep the picture from shaking..the TV antenna & the flat wire. Umbrellas had to be Sun brand…having a Duck back raincoat meant you were a cut above the rest . You either liked a Fiat/ premier Padmini or an ambassador. Doctors had the former & always white. No deos or perfumes..it was Cuticura talc or Nycil ..also ponds. Shaving cream was Palmolive, blades were Topaz or Erasmus supreme.. uncommon foreign sounding was Wilkinsons. Days of Chitrahaar when kids will stop playing, DD regional movies on Sunday….the list goes on & on…
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I remember Niki Tasha electric two wheeler which was fully battery powered.
Somehow this Kerala based company did not catch up those days.
It was a visionary product…..I always used to stop in front of the showroom everyday while going to school.
You cannot miss the home made Keltron TVs as well.Those days when someone buys a new TV at home, the first question being asked by others were, “Is it B&W or Color?”. But today’s questions are “Is it LED, LCD,3D, Full HD,size etc etc……?”.
Absolutely right Saji. And if the TV was color, they would ask if it was a ‘Core’ TV lol. There was nothing superior about Core TVs but just the shape of the cabinet that they cashed in.
HI,
YOU TOOK ME BACK TO CHILDHOOD DAYS! THANK U!
Parrys had a round orange one too. Bismi pens were popular and Hero was coveted. There was a Crest pen also much before the Bismi days. Chewing gum had only one brand “NP” from Banagalore i believe, 4 pieces in a small sachet. Philips and Murphy were for entertainment. Murphy logo Munna was famous. Ink, there was one “Bril” brand very popular. Footwear brands “Bata” and “Corona”. Textile brand “Binnys” was a very common name. Washing soap 501, Cigarette Scissors, Cattlefeed OK were used as synonyms to Washing soap, cigarette and cattlefeed etc. Still more to remember i am sure
dear friend, you have reminded me of so many things, THANK YOUUUUUUUUU.
Yes, Sunil. I remember those orange goli Parrys and other things you mentioned. I couldn’t cover all that I wanted to write, but hey, thanks for reminding me. Inks such as Brill, Camel were there and fountain pens, Bismi, Jubilee etc. Chelpark, had some strange colours too if you remember. I think, I need to write more of retro stuff, time permitting…
an excellent article. there was also an orange coloured big ink pens,either by bismi/jubilee. it can take good quantity of ink and it was the first fill it ,shut it and forget it india. But at that point of time we all desired for better products as choice were limited ,then came the gulf boom ,we all swept away from our feet.
Hi Ajith. I hope this finds you in good health. I write an article about a yesteryear brand every Sunday. Reading about happy t shirts on your blog was really intriguing. Can you help me find out more about this fad? Thank you!
took me back down the memory lane…the hero pen I longed for but couldn’t buy, the Raleigh (Rally) cycles, Forhans toothpaste, Old spice cream my pa used to use, my first HMT wrist watch, 7’O clock blade etc etc…and you were spot on about cleaning the underside of slippers…very nostalgic
@Anoob, Yes, a Raleigh cycle is what I always wanted but ended up with a Hercules. The original (Made in England) Raleigh’s frame, if not the whole cycle, itself used to go for a good resale price. And 7’O clock, Wilkinson etc used to be top brand blades from the Gulf. Old spice lotion was something I could afford after college days. By the way, it used to come in good quality glass/porcelain bottles earlier before cheap plastic bottles replaced them. Very nostalgic brands!
You really took us on a nostalgic trip, Ajith. We still have most of the items well preserved like Dyanora 785 with shutters, Bush Transistor, Agfa Isoly 1 Camera, Hero Pens, Camel Geometric Instrument box. Do you remember Indrajal Comics featuring Bahadur, Mandrake, Phantom, Flash Gordan, etc., Illustrated Weekly, Eveready Torch with aluminium casing, Bicycle Headlight working on dynamo function, Link Locks, Washing soap in large bars which we had to cut with knife as per requirement.
@Syed, you seem to have a very good collection 🙂 Should bring you a fortune in a few years… I had almost forgotten the Bush brand. Thanks for reminding. And yes, those hard-to-turn bicycle dynamos that can be attached to the tire with a flick button was a major feature on any cycle. Later they were replaced by foreign brands like Sanyo/Sankyo etc.
Indrajal Comics brings back the nostalgic days of my childhood. I grew up reading Phantom and Mandrake comics. Illustrated Weekly was the best family magazine ever published from India.
You can still read Phantom and Mandarake comics on King Features Syndicate site: dailyink.com
Here is a list of brands that I miss and are gone forever :
1. Parker Ink
2. Plato fountain pens
3. Kashyap’s Globe Compass set. The mathematical instrument set was called Compass Box.
4. Binaca toothpaste with its Binaca Geet Mala program broadcasted from Radio Ceylon every Wednesday at 9 pm.
5. The best valve radio ever produced was the 8 band National Echo. This company is now known as NELCO.
6. EC Black & White TV manufactured by Electronic Corporation of India Ltd.(ECIL). This was the favorite choice of many who had great faith in government companies.
Prakash,
Yeah, definitely the comics of phantom and mandrake were awesome. I guess, I am not so familiar with Parker ink, Plato pens and Kashyap – probably they weren’t as popular down south?
And yes, Binaca used to be my favorite tooth paste and later it became Cibaca as I remember. Thanks for reminding me of that brand 🙂
I clearly remember the EC TV as well. It was slightly cheaper than the private brands and was quite good. That was our first color TV before we switched to the so-called CORE TV (more squarish one)
I am from Mumbai. Parker Ink (later called Quink) and Kashyap’s Globe compass box and Plato pen were extremely popular in Mumbai. Plato was a local manufacture and Parker is an American brand.
The best part of Globe compass was that the instruments were made of brass and the box was made of tin. They lasted forever. It would be passed on by the eldest child to the youngest. Camlin (also a local manufacture was the runner up) and all other brands were made of aluminium. This separated Globe from the rest.
Thanks for your comment Prakash. Was Plato pen and Kashyap’s box local brands in that region? Somehow, these names don’t ring the bell for me.
Nelco is also gone. I wouldn’t agree that Ecko was best as Murphy, Phillips, Bush, Telefunken and even HMV was very good. TV was EC TV all the way and it had waiting lists for 6 months. But Dyanora, Televista, Weston and Sonodyne were giving tough competition. By the way, Parker inks and pens, Hero, Wing Sung etc are still available.
dyanora was the first tv i ever seen and is still the current tv i see everyday.I still have the television at home here and its a colour tv whch is much better then an LED or LCD..what many people dont knw is the that the technology used in most tv today was already there 30 yrs back and my dyanora is capable of sending teletext…etc and it still works as if brand new
@Hilton, I am glad that you are still having a working Dyanora! And yes, despite the size issues, old picture tube based color TVs can serve you forever while plasmas and LCDs will be typically thrown away if something goes wrong. Wishing you many more happy years with your Dyanora.
Lovely little stories attached to each of the objects. Love the trip down memory lane.
There is a nice group on FaceBook that is dedicated to things from the past…. Check it out:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/things.i.miss/
i have seen in my olden days,hero pen cost at 20 rs in 1988,dyonara t.v,solidire t.v,crown ,these are the brands,BPL, TV
Hey Ajith,
Nice one sir, you really brought my memories back 🙂 Reading your post was like seeing the old spinning board to hypnotize people shown on the TV,I really felt like that. Thank You.
Just to add to the list is the cold drinks of that time 🙂
Goldspot (the zzing thing 🙂 ) Campa Cola, Thumpsup, Limca, Bovonto
TV Shows On Sundays 8:00 Am to 9:00 AM – Ramayan
9:00 AM I guess Disney Mini Mouse, 9:30 AM Donald Duck
He-Man and Masters of the Universe
Well before that in 1984 Spiderman etc
Thanks Ajith you made me go 25 years back..
Thank you..much appreciated 🙂
Yes Shameem. All that you mentioned – Gold spot the zing thing, Campa cola etc were part of our TV ads 🙂 Limca and Thumsup are still there.
And how could I forget He-Man and his tiger (that gets scared at times)?
Dear Mr. Ajith
I was very happy to read the details of vintage items which once we used to have in our younger days. I have hobby of restoring old radios particularly Philips. I am having around 15 valve radio sets of Philips fully restored including one radiogram of Philips purchased in 1965. By Profession I am a retired Electrical Engineer settled in Bangalore.
Regards
P.Rajan
Dear Mr.Rajan,
Thanks for your comments and good to know someone who restores valve sets. Recently I saw a UK site where they sell restored Philips/Murphy/Bush sets for handsome prices. May be you could make it a highly profitable business and sell things on eBay or via a website.
Best regards,
Ajith
Hi, I was hardly seven or eight. We used to have Big Nelco Radio (with big vaccum tubes inside) with a external antenna on the roof. I remember my father always adjusting the frequency and the roof antenaa to get clear signals of far away stations especially from hyderabad. We used to stay in Mumbai. And yes of course B&W tv was Crown and later Konark and remember we purchased 16 pole external antenaa to get better quality picture of DD1 and also later DD metro. Also we had Grammphone recorder. Discs were too big.I dont remember which brand but had very powerful speakers and use to dance to the tunes of movie Qurbani and Shaan. Later replaced it with Panasonic tape recorder,was portable and light unlike Gramophone. Tempted with colour tv’s with thier vicious dazzling displays which was really out of budget. And yes the only 5 pm Sunday movie I used to watch on colour set in my neighbours house. And use to curse when there was a power failure. And yes Camel brand of Geometry box was that I could ever have and lot others used the same. And yes I used to use ink fill pens and later micro tip pens. I use to frequently read comics of mandrake the magician, Bahadur & his wife bela & the all time best Tinkle. Even we had Readers digest but wasnt interested as it was without colorful pictures and used to never understand it. Even now sometimes I read Tinkle. SSC Board exams were a nightmare. I use to hear lot of students committing suicide over failures used to send shivers thru my spine. Today it is altogether a different scenario. I used to watch Startrek,Spiderman,Vikram Betal ,Ramayan & Mahabharat. Though I never understood popular clasic serials like Humlog & Buniyaad & used to sleep. I wish those days come again.
Prasad, tell me about it man. Gone are the peaceful days. Now we are all preys to the sensational news channels that are fighting to increase their TRP ratings. Even kids cartoon channels are filled with nonsense anime serials with violent/immoral stories. I thought, despite all those technical limitations, we had a wonderful childhood that saw India in transition…
Thanks for your reply, I agree with you, but even now I feel I must have enjoyed much more than what I did. May be I am gettin greedy. When I see small poor children begging or without clothes with no one to care and look after them in this ruthless world, I feel myself very lucky. I am really indebted to my parents for showering so much love and affection. Thanks
Even 40 years back parri had a candy called pan pasant with taste of betel leaf
Hero pen has a limitation in it’s ink holding capacity
I had been to China and found Hero and one more brand Doctor are made by same company there
Also I had used a simple fountain pen with 18 ct gold nib with brand name Mathrewriter being made in bombay then
Old is of course gold
Feels nostalgic seeing your post. The DYANORA was the first TV purchased in my house. That was in 1986 and suprisingly a Colour TV with REMOTE and 99 CHANNELS!!! I was even wondering why the TVs that were produced after that era even were mostly black and white, hardly 10 or 20 channels and without remote. I television set was replaced after 15 years, where in 2000 we went purchasing ONIDA ego which were having just 100 channels!!!
The Radio used in my house was Philips, where my Grand Ma used to say, that was the first thing purchased by my father after getting his first salary.
Always I preferred for BRILL INK to Chelpark since Brill was bit more brighter.
I used Hero pen, Reynolds, Rotomac, Stick (Rs 2 pen), Bismi etc. and NATARAJ pencils. Paragon and Lunars were favorite brand of chappals. Action and Bata were the most purchased shoes. Ganga soap was once tried since the advertisement mentioned it was made of Gangaa Jal. Le-sancy was also purchased once due to the influence of its advertisement. TATA ESTATE and CONTESSA were the most popular luxurious segments and Baja and Vespa were the most popular scooters.
The most favourite advertisements were NIRMA, CLOSE UP ads, GoldSpot, etc.
VIGIL was a brand of toilet soap available during that time. Forhans and Cibabca were well popular toothpastes.
There were other TV brands called NELCO, SOLIDIERE, PANORAMA (less popular), AKAI etc. There were a nice advertisement on Cityman Shirts.
Doordarshan was all the all time favourite channel and Metro Channel was not available to us since we were residing in a rural area. Ramayana, Mahabharata and sunday-movies were watched by a herd of people who gathered by the time in my house. Surprisingly the gatherings went around 50 or 60. Even people stand and watched the movies for two or three hours.
Alif Laila, Tehkikath and The Great Maratha were the most awaited programmes. Also the musical programmes like Rangoli and Chitrahaar were never missed.
Gone were the days of ultimate happiness and life were much easier without mobile phones and internet.
Thanks for posting this!!
What about Lipton teas, “lipton- Lavoji” ad
Rajaselvan, I have a vague memory of that, not something that really struck me 🙂
Thanks a lot for refreshing those old school time memories! Just to add few more brands tt came to my mind: Postman oil, Farex, Caramilk toffees, Leonard and Kelvinator brands of Refrigerators, NP bubble gum (don’t remember anyone calling it as “chewing gum” as kids used to make bubbles out of it!), BPL & Solidaire televisions, boosters tt were used to strengthen the doordarshan signals, National’s VCR and VCP, Sony and TDK’s audio cassettes. After the release of the malayalam 3d movie “my dear Kuttichathan” Nikitasha launched 3D TV! Remember a brand Binatone also in electronics!
I digged out some audio cassettes of 70s for converting them to digital. Only Sony and tdk performed. Others failed. Tnk u for remembering me the NP bubble gum. It also came with a free picture which could be affixed on our uniform white shirt when ironed with a hot iron box
Great article Ajith..Well written appreciate it…One more Chinese fountain pen brand also used to be there..the great Wing Sung..I am very sad to say even till date India could not produce a good reliable fountain pen similar to the great old HERO PENA and at that price…What development are we talking about !!! Feeling so sad..
Ajith, thank you for this post. I grew up in Kerala in the 1970s and these are brands I used to see every day. Now, nearly 40 years later, this brings back memories of childhood. One of my earliest memories is eating Parrys middai (candy). My Bismi pen lasted from 6th through 10th grades and I wrote my SSLC exam with it, using Brill ink–a Google search of Bismi pens took me to your post! I had a Camel instrument box and my mom treasured her Hero pen. I hadn’t thought of Tinopal laundry soap in decades. Again, thank you!
I was attracted by the Murphy Valve Radio and other electronic home entertainment products. I am an antique lover and has been doing servicing of Valve Radios and Amplifiers and such other antique products for the last 30 years. Even at the age of 64, I am getting such antique sets for service. On my workshop, right now I have brought one 1950 model Murphy Valve Radio and one Grundig Valve Radio to working condition. I have several valves in my collection apart from a few valve radios and amplifier and other antique amplifiers using transistors. (But none of them are for sale!) All the best to you
Dear Parasuraman,
Good to know someone with the background of servicing electronics and valve sets. Sometimes I wish, we stored those pricey things that we threw away years back to make way for new generation electronic devices.
Anyhow, good luck to you and your passion!
Dear Parasuraman,
I too love old valve radios. I have a few old radios and one Philips and a HMV record player (pick up). Would it possible for you to service them for me?
Thanks
Aubrey 9840753430
Some more famous brands from yesteryears:
Forhans, Binaca and Kolynos toothpaste and of course the two coloured Signal tooth paste.
Sunlight Washing soap which announced a reward of Rs. 10,000 if anyone found a defect in the bar of soap.
Kelvinator Refrigerator, that kept things cool or frozen. The fridge worked without the need for service for ten, twenty and sometimes thirty years. Just imagine the quality of electricity was so good in those days.
Calgas and Burshane – the cooking gas brands now replaced by Indane, Bharat Gas and HP Gas.
Fifty – fifty cycle bells
Cycle dynamo and headlamp from Sanyo and Philips
Cycle kerosene lamp
Grundig Radio and Gramaphone
Turntables, Juke boxes
Rotary dial telephones
Typewriters
HMT and Enicar watches
Yes, signal toothpaste was considered different and for rich people because it had two stripes of colors. I was wondering how two stripes could be inserted into paste tube at first place
I am giving a list of my dream possessions. I am an antique collector and do most some of the items for the sake of nostalgia :
1. Toothpaste – Colgate, Bianca, Forhans, Signal & Close Up
2. Tooth powder : Monkey Brand, Dabur and Colgate
3. Soap : Liril, Lifebuoy, Rexona, Ha mam, Pears, Neem, Aramusk
4. Powder : Ponds, Cuticura, Nycil
5. Cold drinks : Gold spot, Campa Cola, Bijoligril, Rush, Limca & Thumps Up
6. Chewing gum was NP
7. Comics were Indrajal, Diamond and A mar Chitra Katha along with Tin tin
8. Radio : Phillips, Murphy, Bush, GEC, Telefunken, National Ecko, HMV, Pye
9. Record player : HMV & Phillips
10. Tape Recorder : National Panasonic, Sanyo, Sharp & Phillips
11. VCR and VCP : National, Akai, Dubai
12. B&W TV : EC, Uptron, Televista, Sonodyne, Weston, Konark,
13. Color TV, : Sony, BPL, Onida, Videocon, Nelco, Oscar
14. Music System : Techniks, Optonica, Uranus, Pioneer
15. Camera : Agfa, Rollieflex, Yashica, Minolta, Pentax, Zenith, Hot Shot, Nikon , Canon
16. Slippers & Shoes : Bata, Lakhani, Action
17. Cream: Ponds, Nivea, Charmis, Vicco
18. Scooter : Bajaj, Priya, Vespa, Vijay Super, Lamretta
19. Car : Fiat, Ambassador, Contessa, 118NE
20. Fans : Usha, Khaitan, Crompton, Polar
21. Bulbs : Phillips, Sylvania
22. Ointment : Boroline, BoroPlus, Nebasaulf, Burnol, Betnovet,
23. Shaving Cream : Palmolive, Old Spice, V John
24. Ink : Chelpark, Camel, Sulekha
Pens : Parker, Camel, Hero, Wing Sung
25. Battery : Eveready, Nippo, Novino
26. Cassettes : T series, Hitachi, Phillips, Sony, TDK, Pola
27. Record player : HMV, Phillips,
28. Note books, : Sangam, Meritt
29. Watches : HMT, Allwyn, Titan, FavreLeuba, Seiko, Ricoh, Citizen, Casio
30. Antiseptic : Dettol, Savlon, Betadine
31. Alarm Clocks : HES, Favre Leuba
32. Washing Powder : Surf, Nirma, Wheel, Ariel
33. Washing Soap : Tata 555, Tata 501, RIN, Sunlight, Wheel
34. Fabric : Vimal, Binny, Raymonds,
35 Ball pen : Reynolds, Rotomac,
Thanks for posting this blog. This takes to the pleasant memories of 80s and late 90s.
I am afraid that if I start writing about how nostalgic I am about all these things, I will not be able to stop. So I shall try to be as concise as possible. Pardon me if I am abstruse as a result.
1.In TVs – Weston, Solidaire, Uptron, Optonica and Bush
2.In Scooters – Lambretta, Fantabulous, Vespa
3. In Mopeds – Vicky, Suvega
4. In motorcycles – Rajdoot, Jawa, Yezdi
5. In 3-wheelers – Tempos, Badal
6. In cars – Contessa, Standard 1000, Herald, Gazelle
7. In soaps – Jai, Rexona
8. In Talcum Powders – Cinthol, Cuticura, Asoka, Gokul,
9. In Medicines, Metacin, Novalgin, Analgin,Zinda Tillismath,
Saibol, Nebasulf, Burnol
10. Facial cream then called Snow
11. Ponds Pomade
12. In clothes – Binny’s, Mafatlal, Graviera, Dinesh, Elpar,
DCM Textiles, Oswal, Bhilwara suitings
13. In footwear – Carona
14. In Icecream – Coloured Iced-sticks we used to call
ice-fruits.
15. In bisucits – Monaco biscuits, Meena Biscuits, Krakjack,
16. Comic strips in newspapers – The Lone Ranger, Little Iodine
and Mr.Bigdome, Bringing Up
Father, Tarzan, Sad Sack,
17. Other comics – Inspector Ajit, Bahadur, Magnus, The Metal
Men, The Justice League, Beetle Bailey,
Bo-peep, the Legionnaire, The road-runner,
Gyro-gearloose.
18. In toothpastes – Forhans, Kolynos
19 In toothpowders – Colgate, an ad featuring the village
school master and his rotten teeth
with a student Raju(Dabur ?).
20. For Vicco – Ad featuring Sangeeta Bijlani
21. Models of yesteryears – Pataudi, Suresh Oberoi, Maneka
Gandhi, Jalal Agha (Pan Parag),
22. In batteries – Everready, Nippo
23. In Blades – Prince, Topaz, Wilkinsons, Silver Prince,
24. Jingle about Wilkinsons blade goes like this :
Wilkinson’s sword ka naya blade,
—- —– wala double-edged blade,
double edged blade,
resham ki mulayam dadi
mehbooba ko laage pyaari
wilkinsons sword ko jaanti hi duniya saari,
badiya quality ka double edged blade,
wilkinson’s sword ka naya blade.
DOUBLE EDGED BLADE !!!!
In Watches – HES,HMT, Allwyn, Favre Leuba,
In speedometers – Yenkay
In Trucks – Fargo, Bedford, Tata-Benz, Leyland
Miscellany : Slide Rules, Facit Mechanical calculators, Philips,
Facit and Solutron Electronic calculators. Spool
tape recorders, Click-III, and Box cameras,
Agfa-Gaevart Photofilm paper, Leather cases for
transistors, embroidered curtains for the front
hall, “Good Night” and “Sweet Dreams” emboridered
by the housewife on the pillows, smell of scorched
roads made wet by rain, smell of newly bought
notebooks, tensions churning up your mind and
stomach when presenting a dismal report card to the
parent for signature months after it is due.
yes these u told r going back for long ago days of rememberence.
i am happy to seeu r list of olendays that all used produced.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10202260034357955&l=b5efa1532e Parrys Image
I am fond of photography, what about click III camera , I still remember the Sakura colour film rolls. And the ad. Came in the TV. when they changed the name to Konika in the early 80s. A person shouting “Sakura” in front of a cave, and echo coming from the cave as “Konika”
Hi Ajith,
I like hero pen and still using it since 1993 (When I was in 10th Std). I used 3 pens (one of them is very old, and I found 2 pens in one stationary shop in 2012 and I had purchased them), but due to damage of nib I am using only one of them with extra care as nib is not available in market.
I come to know this page while I searched for the website from where I can buy new nib of Hero Pen which is the only pen make my writings good.
Regards
Balvantkumar
Nelco is also gone. I wouldn’t agree that Ecko was best as Murphy, Phillips, Bush, Telefunken and even HMV was very good. TV was EC TV all the way and it had waiting lists for 6 months. But Dyanora, Televista, Weston and Sonodyne were giving tough competition. By the way, Parker inks and pens, Hero, Wing Sung etc are still available.
Do you remember glycodin terpvasak for cough
With jingle Dady coughs all the night
Yes dear all day all night
Glycodin will set you right
Just you wait and see
Where there is life bouy there is health
Lux supreme with beauty cream
Relax have a charminar
Etc
Thanks for writing this article, I have gone back to the olden days. I still remember munching on the snacks prepared by my mother and watching the serial Giant Robot in our Dyanora Black and White TV. Life was so simple and small things gave great happinnes. Now we are surrounded by lot of technology but we are always on the run and stressed. Thanks for writing the article and transporting us back in time. Regaards Victor
Trinka anyone remembers?
Thanks for the thread!
Karthik.
Very nice article. It brings back the nostalgia from my own childhood. As a child of the 1980s, I still vividly remember many tidbits from those days. Adding to the posts of others which is most memorable, who can forget or recall :
1] Laxman Sylvania ad for tubelight
2] some asbestos sheet ad starring Dara Singhji in the guise of Hanuman (inspired from his Ramayana role!)
3] Kiss me toffee bar
4] Hamdard Cinkara cough syrup ad featuring Javed Jaffrey – most memorable is of him breaking through the glass window
5] Lijjat papad add featuring a laughing puppet
6] Pan parag ad featuring Shammi Kapoor and Ashok Kumar.
7] Surya bulbs and tubelights
Yes Anup. I remember most of these brands and the respective commercials. I think, Dhara Singh ji was in the Everest Sheets commercial?
dear Ajith,
really mind refreshing brands….
I remember TINOPAL…. still I have that blue colour container of tinopal
also i owned once a TV set with its wooden shelter exactly shown in the image.
thank you for sharing the info…
After so many years I saw the brand’s name when I was child.Good to see them.about hero pen is so true
Mohan ghee ad:
Gaon se khalis ghee mangwate the, mohan ghee khaya to aisa shudhh ki gaon se nata hi toot gaya,
e ji, mohan ghee lete ayiega ye ghar me bane ghee jaisa shuddh hota hai,
shuddh ghee mohan ghee
ting tong
What about Rolliflex double lens reflex roll film camer? Even though roll film is disappearing this film camera also had a 35 mm film adapter which could be fit inside the box and used with 35 mm films. The quality of images from this camera used to be fantastic.
I remember Click III, Click IV cameras priced at 99 or so 🙂 Not Rolliflex
Really I went into my childhood when I am reading ur nostalgic list of yesteryears material. I too have some memories of Westend fountain pens. Kingston ball pens r a costly affair. U said about happy tshirts, just like that I love mushroom t shirts which were brought by some seamen of my area in Andhra. Bata northstar shoe is a dream in those days… how can I forget the williams shaving cream and forhans toothpaste?
How about Scissors, wills, ITC kings or Panama? Kaja Beedi anyone? LoL
Best,
Ashok
I think, everything except Panama is still there 🙂
Yes basically i went through this post only becouse I saw the comment about Radios, I did have a BUSH Radio,way back in 1960’s the valve type which was given for repairs and was never returned, later in 1974 we had a Transistor Radio again a Bush Baron.. worked for a few years and went dead… since than till Asian games we had nothing … time was spent with reading books Classics, James headly Chase, Perry Mason, Agatha criste etc….
Still I did love those Valve Radios a lot… I am stuck with 3 Pioneer Amplifiers needing Repairs and no worthwhile technician to fall back about etc… It was good reading on your Blog
Does anybody remember big fun?! I used to collect cricket stars labels. It was 25 and later 35 paise (the cost banged my memory spontaneously once i remembered the name.. i still remember the smell.) Also maggi was new at that time and had quiet a different taste which i didnt like initially….but i think it tasted better then…remember we had to use a small screwdriver like thing to tune solidaire color tv…we owned an onida, videocon , weston in those days…and house bosses used to close the tv door and cover it before sleep everyday rigorously…and watching cricket , olympics, wimbledon on tv was something i could never forget…unlike today in those days , on sundays and tv serial times , the roads would look deserted..even during cricket matches…dont forget the small and big tv aerials (antennas) and the way we used to adjust it for better signal…vcps and vcrs…pmpo sterios…
And then talking about brands….natraj ,nirma ,…watta days those 80s..
Yes Kumaran. I remember Big Fun and I guess, we used to collect Cricket stars’ stickers with them? And all those TV brands, PIP, PMPO technologies etc. Yes, amazing days!
There is someone in the blog, Mr.Pandu Rajan who says his hobby is to repair old radios. Look up his entry dated 24 step, 2012
GOLD SPOT!!
So also other items like elephant pencils, Iris ink ,Globe geometry box ,Dawn Tea shirts ,
Toplin Tereylene shirts ,Vinar Sidenstickers,Gama pens ,Modern Cafe ,3 in one oil, Coronaton Durbar hotels,Brilliantine
Hair cream, Zodiac Ties, and many more all relating to late 50S and early 60s J C Moral
Hi Ajit
Was really fun reading ur article. I’m happy that today we have social media and stuff like YouTube to take us back to our childhood days.
I found the Happy tshirt being mentioned funny…. I remember having a few of them as my dad was happy in gulf… I guess they were made in HongKong or china….
Lots of memories and specially there were many tv brands then like bush crown dyanora keltron meltron binatone Onida Jvc Kalyani-sharp .. people from gulf had sony or Sanyo
I always wanted to have a vcr but never could!
I remember old serial and still watch them n YouTube like nukkad kathasagar etc
Those were really good old days – memories of which we can just cherish….
A great read
Hello… Fascinating to see such old things…! Any idea where can I still buy old TV sets..the one with legs??
I remember Niki Tasha electric two wheeler which was fully battery powered.
Somehow this Kerala based company did not catch up those days.
It was a visionary product…..I always used to stop in front of the showroom everyday while going to school.