Iconic Weight And Fortuneteller: End Of An Era.

Our train journey started by pleading for Re.1 coin from our parents to know our weight and our fortune. Gone are those days now. Where are those colourful, magical weighing machines which were the fortune tellers of our childhood? The silent wait at the railway station was broken by children running with coins jingling in their pockets towards those giant machines which are a part of the childhood of 90s kids. These weighing machines were removed by the Indian Railways a few years back.

And the reason behind that was mainly financial crisis - these machines were not funding profit. They were running at a loss. They were maintained by a private contractor and without profits, the maintenance could be done. The contract ended in 2011 only and within a few years, the machines were removed from the platforms.

The machines were important for the ambience of the platform. They added joy to the journey. Humans are always curious to know their weight and these were way too interesting. Hopping into the machine and waiting for the brown card to come and reveal our fortune and weight was one’s favourite pastime at the station. It was designed in such a dramatic way that even adults had an adrenaline rush when seeing the wheels rotating inside it. Tiny bulbs turning on and off seemed that our future was being predicted by a fortune teller. Seeing them again would surely make all the 90s kids nostalgic.

I had always been close to trains, stations, platforms etc. Belonging to a railway family we had to shift every 2-3 years. Train journeys are full of life. Red coolies carrying such heavy luggage that is unimaginable. I always used to wonder what do the coolies eat, such level of energy and enthusiasm and knowledge about every train leaving the platforms. The chai wallas singing in their rhythmic tone “chai garam”. The sweet goodbyes, relatives waving as the train leaves the platform, telling them to eat well and write letters. The nostalgia hits real hard.

Before boarding the train, the most thrilling part for me was weighing my weight. I always asked for Re.1 and full of excitement and curiosity would run towards those very attractive machines. Sometimes the brown cards also showed your Bollywood star resemblance or favourite stars. Stars like Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Shahrukh Khan etc. were a hit in those days. Also, the fortune teller added much to the joy. When the machine started spinning and those colourful circles with all possible colours they made sounds of whirring and pinging. Collecting brown cards was a hobby. The entire journey of acquiring the brown card was a sense of utmost joy, the huge smiles when my weight was more than my sister. The joy was real.

Technology has taken the world in its own hands. We move fast and forgetting old things is easy these days. New phone with all the possible technologies, fitbits, kindle etc. And how can I forget the Wheeler? The smell of the books is just indelible. Although the wheelers are still there but not much in demand. Nowadays the fitbits take care of our weights and the Kindle has taken the place of books. So much has changed. But I liked the old days when technology was far, far away. And in simple things we were able to find joy.

All the good things come to an end and this was the end of an era. But the sweet memories will always be remebered and yes nostalgia hits hard.

It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all. -Laura Ingalls Wilder