Sunday, January 03, 2010

Nostalgic Look at the Sixties



It was in the nineteen sixties that I transformed from a schoolboy to a young doctor.I look back at sixties with nostalgia.Politcally first half of the decade was ruled by the SLFP and the latter half by the UNP.We had Poya holiday system in the latter sixties.It was Poya and pre-Poya in place of Satureday and Sundy.Some weeks had eight days.There was a cosensus about the extra day in all establishments.Some schools used to have the Monday,Tues day or whatever time table for the extra day.
Newer cars bore 4 Sri or 5 Sri numbers.Our professors travelled in Austin Cambridge,Opel Recard ,Ford Consul and Borgward cars.There were no direct dial telephone system.One had to book a call from Kandy to Colombo and wait for hours sometimes.The next door neighbour can hear what you speak than the person in Colombo that you speak to.
Mini skirts were in the vogue.The ladies in sixties now wore minskirts in nineteen sixties! Jim Reeves,Elvis Priestly Englebert,Tom Jones ,Beetles were singing idols.Sydney Poiret,Paul Newmann,Richard Burton,Julie Andrews,Bridgette Bardotte,Ursula Andreas Adrey Hepburn were screen idlos.Local scenario singers were C.T. Fernando.Jothipala,Narada Dissasekara ,Milton Perera and so on.Screen idols were Gamini Fonseka,Tony Ranasinhe,Jeewrani,Punya Heendeniya,Anula Karunathilaka and so on.
Public transport was much bettter than now.One cpuld get a bus to travel from Bamalapitiya to Dehiwala at midnight.The situation was similar in outstation towns too.Trains were very punctual .They were cleaner and more comfortable than now.The railway guard was in the unform and so was the station master.
Our medical teachers were men of stature.They did not spend much time in private practice.They used to entertain us in their homes.They were very sensitive to medical ethics and medical etiqutte.
University poltics were totally dissociated from the politics of the country.There were Leininists ,Marxists ,Stalinists,Maoists and Democratic Socialists.They used to have arguments till late night about their idols but never took part in the party politics of the rest of the country.