A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P……L, M, N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z
X Y, Z, and Butter on your bread…
We are sure you all went to the style of tone remembering your days of learning alphabets. And that is our article all about, Learning alphabets, the 90’s way with artist Suhasini.
This popular kindergarten rhyme is sufficient to hit the nostalgic chords of our hearts which takes us back to those precious days of our lives for which we could trade anything.
Be it waking up early mornings to catch our favorite Disney shows or pushing each other on a sultry afternoon to get that cricket ball which broke the neighbor’s window panes.
And oh! Not to forget that “pro” feeling when we fixed tapes with pencils and danced on our favorite tunes and got Rola cola, Gold spot, or Rooh-afza for rewards.
Duck Tales, He-Man, Flash Gordon, Superman, Tail Spin, Aladdin, Dennis the Menace, Chip & Dale, Spiderman, Mickie Mouse, Small Wonder were our Netflix and chill.
When summers meant long vacations, mango treats, and a trip to grandparents’ home, when monsoons were meant for paper boat races, Here’s to the days before Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.
So all the Xenniels and the Millennials out there get ready for the time travel as we present you our uncommon Arstiste Suhasini who through her typographical art, 36 Days of Type inspired by Kriti Monga’s Typevention workshop, gives us the glimpse of those good old days.
A-Fasten your seat belts folks as we are about to ride down our memory lane in our very own Ambassador car!
A is also for Artist – let’s know who is Suhasini?
“I graduated in Communication Design from DJAD in 2014 and here I am today – a senior graphic designer at I-AM, Mumbai, a multi-discipline agency involved in creating brands. On the personal front, I love doodling my time away and daydreaming about the next best fashion statement.”
B-Oh those Birthday parties where return gifts were the most exciting part after the delicious samosas, potato chips and cake and of course our favorite soda.
Does B also mean back story? Let’s learn how it all started –
“It started with an elephant safari. To be precise, a small feature of my sketch of an elephant safari in Times of India as a young artist of 8 – the cut-out of which I have still preserved.”
C-Who can forget the pleasure of the pink woolen Cotton candy or what we called “buddhi k Baal “which melted in our mouths leaving its pink trail behind.
How many of you remember waiting for the interval bell or the last bell of the school to go out and buy the cotton candy with the pocket money we saved? Or pleasing parents to buy one at exhibitions or the walking stalls? #90streat
D-Best part of school? Lunchtime! Where everyone got our homely cooked food neatly packed in our Dabbas.
D is also the dedication and we are thrilled with this kind of dedication made by our artist to all of the 90’s kids through her art!!
E-Energee! no no this is not a typo! It was this wonder drink which was packed in bottles by Aarey Company found only in most obscure little local shops.
This was the 90’s way of high!!! The pop colors and the taste!! #want
E is also for Expression – let’s learn Suhasini’s connection with this expression –
“Art taught me how to freely express myself. I have always had trouble expressing myself through language, so I thought – why not express myself through the sketches that I can create.”
F-FLAMES! Ah! I can almost see that sly smile peeping out when you read this word! The last page of notebooks was reserved for this.
Now answer to yourself honestly, who all played this to check with every other crush during their school days? TBH We definitely did this!! A hundred times, not just for ourselves but for friends, their crushes, assumptions, actors, and the teachers also? 😀 😛
G-“This is my bat and I will bat first!” yes you guessed it right! Gully Cricket! Way before IPL and T-20s we had this game where we made our own rules and never backed down from fighting for the first chance to bat!
G also means – Get ‘em going! 😉 What keeps our artist Get going?
“There is so much that I haven’t explored! There is so much to learn. I want to try my hand at every art form there exists, to the maximum extent possible.”
H- Call it Chirpi, Langdi tang, or Ekka Dukka the effort to move by leaping with all feet off the ground remains the same! Yup! The HOPSCOTCH, which pulled all the girls of the house on streets is what “H”, stands for!
Hop and hop, balance one leg and Hop!! I am sure most of us (All the 90’s ) played this fun game!!) ^.^
I-Remember the times which made you feel all matured and serious when you made that transition from pencil to Ink pens to mark the end of primary schooling and beginning of secondary school?
We bring you the I for Inspiration behind Suhasini’s art –
“Well, I am fascinated by the power of typography. Of course, having done the type of workshop, it made me even more interested in the subject.
Type is everywhere! On billboards, on street signs, print, television, and on our phones. It is so omnipresent in our day-to-day lives that most people don’t even think twice about it.
So, I thought to take it up as a challenge and to me, it sounded like a great opportunity to become a better designer.”
J-Jellies…. Yummy, wiggly, colorful treats that we ransacked the refrigerator for.
Read on J for Journey of her passion –
“I would be lying to say that I have always known what I have wanted to do. From thinking about careers in the nutrition industry to interior designing, I’ve been there, done that. As an artist, you have to dabble in everything, be it photography, doodling, or branding – everything is equally important and equally eye-opening. There is no set rule that you have to be perfect at what you do – you just need the passion to do what you do.”
K-The thought of my favorite flavor of Gola, Kala Khatta makes me drool even today.
Oh, the Good-old days!!! The varieties of the Gola and the kala khatta flavor, the best of all. How many of you also remember the kala khatta goli’s we savored it truly! And That pop sound with the mouth when you eat it as a reaction to its strong flavor!
L-To the days where there were no social Media and letters were the most important means of communication. I remember the happiness when dad let me put the letters in the Letterbox.
The smell of the post!! The excitement to open it and those greeting cards with envelopes were no less than the letters. How many of you wrote, “Open with a smile” ???? comment below and let us know, we are not the only one’s ;
M-Out of our reach as kids, these Metal almirahs revealed a world full of mysteries whenever our parents twisted and turned its handles.
M for Motivation – What do you think was the motivation behind this theme? Let’s read in the artist’s own words.
“Well, I am fascinated by the power of typography. Of course, having done the type of workshop, it made me even more interested in the subject.
Type is everywhere! On billboards, on street signs, print, television, and on our phones. It is so omnipresent in our day-to-day lives that most people don’t even think twice about it.
So, I thought to take it up as a challenge and to me, it sounded like a great opportunity to become a better designer.”
N– “Natraj pencil first-class pencil! “I still remember the advertisements for these red and black striped pencils which were neatly sharpened a night before exams.
For a sec you went back to school days? Didn’t you? Remember the ad also with a punch line “NATRAJ FIR CHAMPION”
O– “Neighbor’s envy owner’s pride”, Uncle Onida is what my mom used to scare me with whenever I threw tantrums at night.
“Look at the picture keenly, the devil will come out the screen anytime now.” Just like the old-times ad and we would jump out of fear, every time the ad would start.
P- “Parle-G! G for Genius! Who doesn’t remember the aroma of these biscuits served with milk every evening after school!
Well P for Passion, so let’s know the inspiration for her passion –
“My mom loves painting and she was the one who inculcated the passion in me to express myself through art at a young age. To this date, she treasures the newspaper cut-out more than me. My dad, who has always been a pillar of support. And my sister, who never tired of being my model for sketching assignments and has always pushed me to do new things.
And, of course, for an artist, inspiration is everywhere. Be it the late-night walk you take or the random website you surf (hint hint: Pinterest).”
Q-Imagine a world without BookMyShow. Now imagine a world full of the long queues at the advanced booking counters at the theatres. Need seats for your family to the latest movie releasing next weekend? Line up the Queue and make your battle cry heard.
When you cut the Q in half it becomes C – And C boletoh challenges – 😛
What’s might our artist’s challenges be? Hmph..
“The theme was the challenge. A lot of people had taken up the same theme as a project and I felt the need to be different than others – to think and to feel differently. Of course, too much abstractness is also not a good thing. Perception varies from audience to audience and therefore, at times, I had a lot of trouble choosing exactly what I wanted to depict.”
R-. One Reel equated to 36 photos. The slightest shake of the hand meant one lost photo. A real struggle in the days when digital cameras hadn’t yet established their stronghold.
R for Reel, then there is also Reality, and on another side, there are so many dreams –
What are Suhasini’s Dreams –
“My biggest dream? To visit 60 countries before I hit 60. I want to create travel-inspired art. I want to develop my own art style infused with the styles of the various countries that I plan to visit. I want my art to be featured (being featured here is a step towards that dream) and I want it to reach and touch various parts of the world – if that’s not too much to ask.” 😉
S-Before the advent of memes, it was Amar ChitraKatha and the unforgettable Tinkle, our source of the much needed Suppandi dose. Not even the stone-hearted can resist cracking a smile in the face of Silly Suppandi’s antics.
How many still read suppandi’s jokes and laugh uncontrollably? ME! ME! ME!
T-The Telephone booths! Before the unlimited call plans were these little yellow kiosks where we sneaked in to make calls, which made every teenage love bosom upon a time in the 90s.
One ring, two rings, miss calls, anonymous calls, and ohh the prank calls!! Those were the days of real fun!!
T is for Theme – What is this theme all about? –
“36 days of type is an open platform for designers, illustrators, and artists to express their view on letters and numbers. This is a collaborative project created by Barcelona-based graphic designers Nina Sans and Rafa Goicoechea. And slowly it became global!”
U-Be it Picnics or stress eating during exams, Uncle Chips was our favorite crunchies to munch on!
“Bole mere lips – I love uncle chips” (We know you sang it in the same tone, didn’t you? 😉
U reminds us to talk about The Artist’s ultimate dream –
“One day, in the near future, I should like to see myself setting up my own design studio!”
V-Vengaboys. Remember them? Yes, the Vengaboys! The popular band during the ’90s! I remember blasting their songs on TV as a kid. I discovered them on “ITV”, famous for broadcasting pop songs from all over the world! This was my first step into the world of English Pop.
We like to party! We like to party! – the song in itself was a party without any party!! Ahh, the good-old songs!!
W-Before the ear pods there existed this device called “Walkman”, which was the cool kids’ “cool”, I remember sitting next to the window pretending as if I were in a movie and listening to my favorite song all night. Of course, it was a pain to change from side A to B, but hey it was worth it!
Who’s the coolest? We, the ’90s are coolest with the Walkman’s! We miss ‘em badly!
X-Boring classes? Bring on the X and O’s!
If all of your books last pages weren’t filled with X & O’s during school days, then you don’t know the fun and you ain’t A 90’s kid!!
Y-Remember crashing the nearest cyber cafe right after school to open up Yahoo messenger? Remember sending weird emojis of falling hearts and kisses that made our teenage crushes seem so surreal? I do.
ASL? Remember? Oh the fun!! 😉
Z-The one time where during the dinner time everyone sat to watch daily soaps on Zee TV!
The horror genre known to 90’s kid was – Zee horror show! I bet ya, you have the music of Zee horror playing in your head while you read this!! That’s the magic of 90’s! ;
Here’s to learning the A-Z of the nostalgic era and taking a detour to the good-old-days, refreshing all of our childhood days, Suhasini did really bring out what she intended to through her art of letters! Thanks a ton, Suhasini!!!
The Uncommon Box thanks Suhasini on behalf of all the 90’s kids for taking us on this nostalgic ride and also wishes her all the best for HER future endeavors.
Well, this isn’t the end for you to take a ride to her artistic world, you can follow her and get connected to more of her art at –
(Check it out!!!) Don’t forget to follow her!!! And contact her on, Email ID: suhasiniram20@gmail.com
Did you enjoy the nostalgic ride? Do you have your own 90’s memories to share? Do let us know in the comment box below or mail us at theuncommonbox@gmail.com
You can also follow us on our Instagram, Facebook Page and share your work with us under hashtag #theuncommonbox or directly in our FaceBook group.
We bring you the uncommon artists of all kinds, types, genre from all over the world!!! So, follow us to know more.
Signing off!
Content Writing by Devika Hegde | Content Final Editing & Development by Nandini Rawat
The article is Curated by Vaibhav. His Instagram id is @frameshade
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