Vipul Bhai

There are certain childhood associations that stick for a long while. Sentiments that developed in early childhood can hardly be erased. Maybe it is because those sentiments are really pure!

One such association I have since childhood is with VCPs/VCRs. Yes, Video cassette players. I've always wanted to own one. At a time when there was no cable television, video cassettes were the only way to watch a movie at home. I used to be a huge fan of Amitabh Bachchan and for some reason, Raj Kapoor. Watching their movies was fun even though I didn't understand much.

Unfortunately we never got to own a VCR as my mom thought it would adversely affect my studies. We used to rent VCRs and cassettes from time to time for a day. Those days were pretty exciting. Watching an Amitabh Bachchan movie at home was an exciting prospect for me. The site of a video cassette and a video player itself was exciting. Even now, though the video players have become obsolete, I wouldn't mind owning one just so that the little Salil in me feels happy!

Now you may ask who the hell is Vipul Bhai? Basically, Vipul was the guy who used to rent video players and cassettes at the time. He used to come home, hook up the VCR to the TV and leave us with it for the entire day. Obviously, I had a positive association with the guy who brings the video home. Vipul Bhai was one of the best people in the world according to me.

The next sentence contains a lot of potential for double meaning but that is not the intention - kindly be more mature in understanding the sentiment behind it. Even now, when I see Vipul Bhai on the road, for a second I feel excited as those old sentiments related to the video player come rushing back in. I guess old sentiments die hard!