Eight year old Nitin and the Zee Horror Show!

I wake up whining at six in the morning. I wipe my eyes and make my way to the wash basin. Its chilly and i can already see my grandfather in the kitchen boiling water for the coffee concentrate. I wash my face, but do not brush my teeth, and go to the kitchen. "tata, haalu" I scream. As usual he already has it ready. After cooling it a bit further, he hands it over. I go to the balcony and await the paper uncle. By instinct i know that it has been a fortnight since the last Tinkle arrived, so that can only mean a brand new edition is due any minute now- "tring tring"- ah ha! the un-mistakable cycle bell. I run down and grab the paper and the Tinkle right off his hands. I know he is used to it. I slowly climb up the stairs absorbing the cover of the magazine. I reach the top stair and the ugliest voice in the world says, " kodo tinkle na".
:Enter my brother:
After we wake the whole family up over who gets to read the magazine first, there is a family court in session. Again I'm sure they are used to it, every fortnight. As usual my mom, my dad and my grandfather represent me and our case is that since I'm the younger one, I get to read it. My brother who liked to represent himself, usually, snatches the magazine and runs to the "Kali room"-empty room. I start to cry.
Last summer holidays I remember my brother,nikhil, vinayaka, our neighbor and me collected match boxes from "MORIS" around our area. They are not doing it this time, I do not know why. They must have found all the match boxes, i think.
Switching on the TV in the morning is not permitted, so i go to my room to my g.i. Joe action figures. I make a mental note to watch - actually watch, not sit there and shut my eyes - The Zee Horror Show.
The time is now one in the afternoon and lunch is ready. Since it is the holiday season, mom is also home and due to popular demand has fried "hapla and sandige" to go with the saru.
When dad leaves to work, the TV curfew also leaves with him. We happily watch a kannada funny movie during lunch.
The clock is ticking, i see. Right now, I'm thinking " its just a horror show". I smile and start re-reading Tinkle.
The clock says seven, i see. I'm back home from playing "sudden death" with Roopa and the gang next door. I wash my feet and drink the tumbler of milk kept for me on the table.
I dash down again to play "raja rani kalla police" with lakshmi, ganga, raju and yamuna. They stay in the outhouse, in the same compound.
*tick tock*
Oh my god, it is nine thirty. I run back up to see my dad already arrived. He gives me and my brother some "caramel" chocolates. I choose the blue wrapper ones and the red ones i give to Nikhil. One hour till the thing starts I notice.
THE ZEE HORROR SHOW.
Every kid in the nineties' nightmare!! The longest i have lasted till date is ten minutes past the starting song.
Three minutes till it begins, i notice. They are airing the sponsors. I make a mental note to pester dad for the cadbury's bar. It looks nice. The cadbury's ad ends.
The 'parental advise' slide appears. I smile at my friends who were forced to sleep at nine and their parents who took the 'parental advise' seriously...
I inch closer to my mom, on the sofa. It's dead silent. The song starts. My mom says, " go sleep, you're scared". I shake my head and somehow try to listen to the "aaah ah...aaaah ah..." which the creepy girl is singing, over my pounding heart.
"CHEHRE PE CHEHRA!!!" screamed the title of the episode. With the little hindi i know, i understand it's " a face on a face". That is not so bad, i think. Ten minutes later, i see the mad scientist drink his potion and become a beast! The music is chilling. The beast scrapes its foot across the streets at night, gorging on lonely people! Nikhil is watching it open mouthed, all awed. My dad is smiling for some weird reason! I close my eyes instinctively at the harsh notes and every time the beast clawed at a man...and i hate myself for it!
Half an hour later, I release my mom's arm, all sweaty. Nikhil comes up and says, " sakhath a githu!!". I mumble something inaudible. He says something about not being able to wait for the next episode...I nod.

the next day, i was smiling like a man who had just won a lottery! "THE ZEE HORROR SHOW!" i mocked, the whole day.
i loved the show, and i loved the nineties. i loved the summer holidays back then and the simplicity of a lot of things.

attached a couple of videos, please watch. the post is too long, alwa? hmm... screw it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOv63i3XMhM copy paste this url, and listen to the theme song.