"Where were you" Moments

A “where were you” moment is a point in time about which one asks later – “Where were you when so and so happened”.

Of course, this is very context dependent. For example, someone my dad’s age will have very different such moments. It is likely to include moments such as “when India gained independence”, “when Gandhiji was shot”, “when Emergency was introduced”, and such like.

Further, it would depend on where you grew up and lived, though some such moments would transcend such geographical boundaries. So, something like 9/11 would probably transcend the entire world whereas something like 7/7 would probably be of not so much importance to anyone outside the UK, maybe outside London.

But there are other moments which transcend geography and are really points in life. These are not so much “where were you” moments in the literal sense– such as driving a car for the first time- you were surely in the car. In such cases it’s not just about where you were but about the emotions which went with the event. This is true for even the actual “where were you” moments. It’s not just about being on the way to office when 9/11 happened –it’s about what happened when you heard about it, what were your emotions, what did you do as a result, etc. And it’s not necessarily a point in time. – it could span time- such a watching a film for the first time – which is a roughly 2 hour time. Hence each such “where were you” moment is a small microcosm over time when the event defined happened.

I have tried to put down such moments which I believe are “where were you” moments. A few points before we get to the list.

• As with all such lists, the usual caveat exists – if done at some other point in time, the list might be slightly different. Also, this is based on my experiences in life and hence is skewed towards India and my life in India.

• Since, I turn 35 later this year, I decided to have 35 such moments. Some are actual moments (25) and some are points in life (10). One could argue this ratio- if you feel like doing so, see the point above. While reading the list each should be preceded by the words “Where were you when”, but remember it isn’t just about physical presence.

• There are different reasons for the events in the list- some are just too big to ignore, some are personal memory. Each of you will have his/her own list which I think will intersect with mine in some ways.

• Finally, when I was making the list, I was trying to ensure that too much similar stuff does not get into the list. But eventually, similarities had to be there. I thought long and hard about whether there really should be 2 Sachin Tendulkar moments. But eventually, I was compelled to keep both – they are truly “where were you” moments for me. It’s 12 years since the first one and I still remember it vividly and I am sure the second will remain as vivid.

So, here’s my list

01 1983 India won the Prudential World Cup
02 1984 Rakesh Sharma went to space
03 1984 Indira Gandhi was assassinated/ Delhi riots occurred
04 1986 Maradona scored the second goal against England, ‘86 Mexico quarter finals
05 1988 Mahabharat was telecast, if not in front of the TV
06 1990 Rajiv Goswami tried to immolate himself
07 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait
08 1990 Berlin wall fell
09 1991 Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated
10 1992 Babri masjid was destroyed
11 1992 Bombay riots happened
12 1993 Bombay blasts happened
13 1995 Ganesh drank milk
14 1997 Princess Diana died
15 1998 Sachin Tendulkar played the desert storm innings (the league game, not the finals)
16 2000 The 2000’s began
17 2001 Gujarat earthquake happened
18 2001 Godhra rioted
19 2001 9/11 happened
20 2005 Bombay floods happened – 26th July
21 2007 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released
22 2008 Lehman went bankrupt
23 2008 Usain Bolt ran the 100 m in 9.69s
24 2008 Bombay Taj was attacked
25 2010 Sachin Tendulkar scored 200 in a one-day game

26 Your spouse agreed to marry you/you agreed to marry your spouse
27 You realized that Santa Claus (or its cultural equivalent) was not real
28 You had your first drink/smoke
29 You swam through the middle of the pool with no inflatable tube and with nobody for support
30 You figured out that the stork did not deliver babies
31 You first watched/read porn
32 You first drove a bicycle
33 You first drove a car
34 Your child said its first word
35 You realized that your parents are fallible

So, that's my list. Did it bring up memories? Writing this post brought back a lot of memories for me...I hope it did the same for you.