The old new years
The Old New Years, Times of India
Yep, it is New Year time again. Our beautiful
planet has traveled 947 million kilometers around the sun since the same time
last year. Some of us have had amazing years and some are looking forward to
forget 2015 and get on with 2016. Some of us have seen a few New Year eves and
some have seen plenty. Whatever may be the case each of us has a special place
for this part of the year. As we transit from “ho-ho-ho” to “Happy New Year” we
experience a sort of déjà vu, that strange feeling that we have been through all
this before. While New Year Eve has been now commercialized beyond recognition it
was not always this way. Come let us travel to the “old new years”.
The way
it was
The popular culture of Vizag was quite different
in the 60’s and 70’s. Several companies, organisations and institutions from other
parts of India and abroad set up shop in our town and Vizag developed a vibrant
cosmopolitan culture. Much of it was driven by the sociable and talented
Anglo-Indian community with names that may sound alien to us now but were
common place those days. That was the community that gave Vizag the unique
flavor as the old year went out and the New Year came in. The days starting before
Christmas and till New Year and beyond throbbed with excitement. There would be
dances and get-togethers every evening in several places all over town. Every
one participated because even the non-anglos who lived in close proximity also
merged into their community ad you could barely tell them apart. The popular
locations were Town Hall, Sacred Hearts Church Hall, Merchant Navy Club, New
Costis, Marina Hotel, Railway Institute, Palm Beach Hotel, Sun n Sea and Sea
View Hotel.
The
dancing
Attractive young women in their full flared
skirts graced the dance floors. Gentlemen in suits and tight drain pipe pants
set the floor on fire as they jived and twisted their way around the floor with
their agile lady dancing partners. As the girls twirled their skirts billowed
sending a shot of testosterone through the waiting single guys, with Elvis or Cliff
Richard hairstyles, around the perimeter of the floor. Once in a while the
seniors, in their polished dancing shoes, shining new polyester trousers, black
jackets and slick combed back hair would come in and show a thing or two to the
upstarts as they glided smoothly across the ballroom dance floor. The young
girls, who were still learning the ropes, loved to dance with these senior men
because they had the effortless skill to make the girls look like great dancers.
The people
There were few jobs then. Men worked at the port, railways,
shipyard or the naval base by day. The ladies worked as teachers, nurses and
housewives. But in evenings of the festive season they transformed into
darlings of the dance floor. Some of the well-known queens and kings of the
dance floor were Sunbun and Nita Carr, Cresswell Abraham, Biddy the light
footed dancer and Mervin Joseph. Rudy and Eleanor Gallyot, Florence D'cruz , Leonard
McIntyre, Betty Taylor, Reggie and Gloria Brown, Jeffrey and Mary Pereira. One
also remembers Valerie Massey, John, Trevor and Sylivia Bourne, Olive Howell,
Patience Cousin, Derrick and Terence Baxter, Tony and Stella D'Cruze, Valerie
Matthews and the amazing Charlotte White who’s dancing left many a hearts in
smithereens. While the dancers were wonderful it was the musicians who gave
them the music to dance to. Vizag had some wonderful bands at that time.
The music
scene
Through this festive season the metallic sounds
of electric guitars, the deep thump and roll of drums, the clash of symbols and
the muscular sounds of trumpets reverberated through the air in and around the
dance halls of Vizag. Music was alive, pulsing and all pervading. The masters
of music in the 60’s and 70 entertained Vizagites with passion and love of
their craft.
Rhythm Aces at the Town Hall
Men working in the South Eastern Railways
generally played at the Waltair Railway Institute. But at the other end of town in our venerable
old Town Hall building the band called "Rhythm Aces" belonging
to the Gilby family kept the wooden floor and rafters of the building vibrating
and the boys and girls on their feet all night. The band comprised Harold on
the steel Guitar and Lancy on the Drums. They were accompanied by Errol who
demonstrated that even a small made musician could coax the Saxophone to do
anything he wanted, and the charming Mrs. Flannigan who accompanied them on the
Piano.
The Psychedelics
Then there was the "Psychedelics"
consisting of Peter Joseph the lead Guitarist, Johnny Hugget on the base guitar,
Douglas Reardon also on the Guitar. Randy Benjamin was the main drummer but in
a pinch the versatile Prem Mirpuri who was the band’s crooner took over the
drums and performed with great competence. Linda Adams also took over the
crooning when a female voice was required.
Music was in their blood
The names are from several decades ago and this
writer may be forgiven for getting some of the names or facts wrong. One of the
first Electric Guitarist in Vizag was Bobby Norris who came from Khurda road. Other
virtuoso guitarists were Tojo Norris, Thompson who some called Vizag’s own Jimmy
Hendricks. One remembers Bulla Norris the drummer; Neville Matthews who played
the piano-accordion and Derrick D'cruze, Hendrick brothers and Smythe Brothers
on the guitar. Old timers remember Ivan Fernandez on the piano-accordion,
Malcolm Fernandez on the Sax, Malcolm Ross on the Bass, Rosehill Lazar on the trumpet,
and Vernon Thompson on the Drums. All were musicians who played for the fun of
it for the love of music.
Simply
beautiful
Old timers remember those days when the price for
joining the merriment was virtually nothing. You needed less than two hundred rupees
in the pocket to splurge like a king. IMFL was making its inroads in the mid
1960’s but booze was still local stuff at the neighborhood grog shop where most
went down for “a wet” before heading off to “the hop”. Youth would borrow their
uncle’s jacket, which hung loose on their body, put on their bell-bottoms or
drainpipes - depending on where they were in the fashion curve, pull on their
polished, zippered “Beatle Boots” with Cuban heels and be ready for action.
Busses and Rickshaws were the means of commuting for most of us but the
privileged used Vespas, Lambrettas or Java motorbikes. The girls they took to
the dances loved getting on the bikes and hold on tight and it made the boys
feel like heroes.
Here
comes the sun
After mid night and after the party venues were
closed, youngsters would ride or walk down to the beach. There was very few out
there those days. They would sit on the sand with their trousers and skirts
folded up and making occasional forays into the water’s edge as the crabs
scurried into holes, as waves came in and went hissing out as they have done
for a million “old new years”. As the wind blew through their hair, the
youngsters talked quietly of things profound and basked in each other’s
company. There were no mobile phones or screaming bikers to distract anyone.
Some kids just dozed off on the sand. But when the wet red morning sun rose gently
from the sea, everyone was looking East over the sea. A sense of immense
happiness enveloped them. There was hope, challenges and anticipation. A brand new
year had started.
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