Turning the antenna
The moment the picture went fuzzy, one of us was on the roof and one by the TV, shouting up: “A bit more... stop, it's back!”
The 90s museum: what we did, and everyone's album
Pencil + cassette
Tangled or slack tape? Push a pencil into the reel and turn. It saved the batteries when rewinding, too.
Latim
Wind the string and throw it down in one pull. Lift the spinning top onto your palm and you were the master.
Hurricane-lamp study
When the power went, the hurricane lamp came out. Everyone studied round one light, and turned the wick up when it dimmed.
Slate and chalk
A black slate in a wooden frame and a stick of chalk. Write অ আ ক, wipe it with your hand, and write again until the letters stand straight.
Wrong number
Every digit meant turning the dial with a finger and letting it spin back. One slip and you started over, and sometimes you got a wrong number.
Flipping the Ludo board
Praying for a six, shouting when a piece got cut, and flipping the whole board when you lost.
Kites and manja
Coat the string with glass powder and glue, then fight the next roof's kite until one string snaps. “Bhokatta!”
Ice-cream bell
A ting-ting bell in the lane at noon meant the ice-cream cart was here. Then came the scramble for coins.
Blowing the cartridge
Game not loading on the TV? Pull the cartridge out, blow into it, push it back. Nobody knew why it worked, but everyone did it.
Nokia Snake
Feeding the snake on a button phone's tiny screen. It grew and grew until it hit its own tail. Game over.
Renting a VCR
For Eid or a wedding, a VCR was rented with a few video tapes, and half the neighbourhood crowded into one room for the film.