The Palace that wasn't

The palace that wasn't.

Nostalgia. It comes upon one in cascades of thoughts, feelings and memories. Quite like a cloudburst in fact! I was passing by Hanuman Chowk the other day. I must have passed that way a million times over the past few decades, and somehow the nostalgic cascade didn't hit me as it did that day. I am sure many of you would feel the same way too after you read this.

It must have been in the eighties, when we had first moved in to Meerut, bag and baggage and with a tiny daughter in tow. After a lifetime in the armed forces, the town felt slow and boring. In the everyday routines of settling down into new pastures and newer ventures, there seemed to be nothing interesting to do. And then my husband (who belongs to this town) introduced me to this quaint, friendly neighbourhood cinema hall called Palace Cinema! It was an ancient building with a hall of sorts, and a faded, stained yellowed small screen, the most pathetic sound system in place and a roof that seemed imminently about to fall on our heads- but I loved it from the moment I stepped into its arched gates. There was a small shop selling peanuts in paper packets and tea/coffee/soft drinks as one preferred. There was presumably a technician who started the spools in the projector room, but I wouldn't be surprised if the 14-15 year old boy who efficiently ran errands, showed you to your seats with a flickering torch, and got you refreshments, also doubled up as the projector boy after the lights went off!

The whole experience of watching Hollywood movies in Palace Cinema was like slipping back into time, a hundred years back- and in the darkness, I used to see a newer, shinier, posher Palace Cinema in my mind's eye, that justified its name and fame. Instead of small friendly mice scampering under the ricketty seats, and the swish of the worn and faded curtains on the doors, I used to imagine British officers and their ladies in evening dress, coming in to catch a movie in the evening. I could almost reach out and touch them.

Palace cinema was the only hall that showed English films in English. In fact, even today, there isn't a single hall with airs Hollywood films in original. We fell into an easy routine of an afternoon movie every Sunday, followed by a meal at Kwality Restuarant. As our daughter grew a bit, she too came along with us for our favourite pastime of the week. And loved the quaintness as much as we did. Then slowly, the meagre crowd dwindled and the hall began to look more and more dilapidated day by day. We still held on fast to our routine. I remember the last film we watched there. It was a film about Zeus and Hercules and was brilliant! As we walked in to buy the tickets, the boy at the counter asked us to either wait until a few more people came in, so running the show would be feasable, or try again the next day. Then he came up with a suggestion I haven't forgotten till today! He asked us to fetch some friends and he would run the show for us! And we did just that.

Then next week, it was locked and barred. And has been ever since. It has never been the same somehow for us. Watching a movie at a modern PVR with Dolby surround sound and posh seats and lighting- I still miss palace Cinema. The palace that used to be. And isn't any more.

Dr. Seema Tyagi