Those were the days....

I'm sure you are going to smile and nod as you scroll down this list... and the grin is just gonna get wider.... :) ;)

1. Playing 'lingorcha' / 'pittu' (7 tiles) and gully cricket in the streets with the guys , and getting offended as you are termed the 'kachha-limbu' (novice player) of the team :@
2. Terming one of the deserted bungalows in the locality as "bhoot bangla" (haunted house) and trespassing to explore it. The haunted stories related to the bhoot-bangla never subsided and we just added to the tales after every heroic expedition. :/
3. .Breaking window-panes / stealing mangoes from that mean nosy neighbor who yelled at you and your friends for apparently no reason :v
4. Happily agreeing to run errands for mom , as she allowed you to keep the change (only the coins) that went straight into a piggy-bank or got traded for the 25 paise orange candies or the packets of tamarind that were sold by the roadside vendor. ;)
5. Jumping into the muddy puddles after every rain and racing paper boats with our friends :)
6. Chaat and pani-puri stalls outside the school, which both teachers and parents discouraged us to patronise. And yet...
7. Singing the 'Happy Birthday' song on top of our voice as the teacher made the birthday girl / boy stand before the entire class and then trying to strike a deal for an extra chocolate as he/she came around with a chocolate-box. ( Actually our class had a different version of the birthday song- "Happy Birthday to you... Tra..la..la...la..la" Anyone remember ?? ) :party
8. Watch in awe as mom haggled with the vegetable vendors/ shopkeepers -("Bhaiya chalo thoda kam kardo... chalo aapka na mera...") and try to learn the tricks of the trade. :brow
9. Praying for a power-cut so that you were not made to study. ;)
10. .Being made the class monitor and have a look of disaster on your face as the timid you could not make an impact on the unruly crowd. :f
11. Secretly carrying friendship bands to school as our school prohibited tying friendship bands as a rule, probably because it was so lame! ( But then we have just graduated to Facebook now! :P)
12. Gathering your last bit of memories on the last day of school by filling up slam books with innocent remarks like AIM in life - "Marry a beautiful wife" / "Be in-separable friends till the sun never rises again!" ;)
13. Check on your love-meter with your crush, by playing 'FLAMES' on the last page of the notebook :$
14. Chat with your best pal during a class by passing paper notes across the classroom.
15. Making important decisions by tossing a coin :b
16. "Bhaite bhaite kya kare, karna hai kuch kaam, shuru karo antakshari lekar prabhu ka naam" , and run out on songs from 'म' , 'न' and 'य' as you have sung them all :tone
17. Four homes and a single landline phone number - "Aunty aapka phone aaya hai!"
18. Gather at your neighbor’s place to gaze at the latest addition to his family - a new TV set / fridge / mixer grinder and munch on the sweets for the joyous occasion. ( Yes back then every new gadget was like a family member which stayed on in the family for the next 20-30 yrs! )
19. Summer vacations were always at Grandma's place getting pampered and getting FAT!
20. School beginnings with new bags, new water-bottles and brown paper covered notebooks with fancy labels. :)
21. Pestering Dad to buy the Camel Water Colors as everyone had one and the pride of owning the most exquisite looking butterfly-dish! ;)
22. Renting video cassettes with a dubious print to watch movies on a VCR. :)
23. Learning to make real chapattis using your playing kitchen-set! :/
24. The horrendous punishment of being made to stand near the dustbin when you have been notorious in class. :(
25. Using the blackboard white-chalk to whiten your PT shoes as they were going to be inspected by your teacher. ;)
26. Reading comics and novels hidden between textbooks 8|
27. Waiting eagerly for Christmas party at school as you did not have to wear school uniforms and you could flaunt the new dress that Mom got you for Diwali/ Christmas :e
28. Competing with the neighbouring locality kids while making 'killa' (forts) during Diwali and blowing up their forts with crackers on Diwali night :vD
29. Letting out the air from the cycle /scooter tyres of your pesky neighbour :v
30. Playing 'Chor-Police' , Name-Place-Animal-Thing and book-page cricket during class hours :)
31. 'Mario' and the 'brick-game' were the only video games you knew. :)
32. "Bhudiya ke baal" was something you ate. :)
33. Trying to recite the national Pledge in Hindi and Marathi during class assemblies. It was so tough! :f
34. Everyone had a tiny phone diary scribbled with landline numbers, though we had memorised all of the numbers for the fear of losing the diary. xD
35. Making a God promise with a neck-pinch and actually keeping it fearing you would invoke God's wrath. :O
36. During a foggy winter , blow fog out your mouth and pretend you are smoking. :)
37. Making faces when Mom asks you to drink milk before going out to play. :~
38. Watching ScoobyDoo, Popeye,Captain Planet,Dexter etc on Cartoon Network with a poor cable TV connection. :)
39. Learning to ride a cycle with the help of the older bhaiyas in the locality on a cycle you rented for an hour. ;)
40. Drinking Rasna with friends after a hard day's play :f
41. Neighbours and relatives coming to bless you for final exams as if you are about to fight a war. :P
42. The watchman and postman uncles asking for 'bakshis' (reward money) for their affluent services during Diwali or when they find out that you have aced a test. :brow
43. Hunting for  a pen as soon as you enter the classroom to ink a dot on your palm so that you did not have to forfeit a chocolate as you were playing Jolly with a bunch of your friends. :)
44. Kismi , Popins and Gems were the treats you loved and the ParleG biscuits were nothing compared to the junk we get now! ;)
45. Walking in a single file with hands crossed behind our backs - we were so well disciplined back then! ;)
46. Gobble-up half the lunch during the 10AM break so you get extra time to play during the lunch hour! ;)
47. Scribble pages and pages of letters to your friends during summer vacations and wonder how you are going to post such a heap with a one-rupee stamp :f
48. Skating on the school corridors :)
49. Scribbling your  English homework during the bumpy school-bus ride as you forgot English is the first period of the day! :f
50. Trying to blow-up the biggest bubble while chewing a gum and get it all our your face! ;)

I know this list could be never ending... Feel free to add to this list :) :) :)