Contributing memories

Please contribute your memories about India and Indians for publishing on this web site. The memories could be what some older person has told you. We want to record personal memories so that future generations will know what life was like in the past. There is no restriction on length and there is no pre-set format for your contribution.

Our focus is on personal memories. As such, we do not publish analytical and opinion articles.

We accept scanned materials, which preserve materials not easily accessible in the public domain.

We are looking for articles in these categories.

• Major Events Pre-1950
• Stories About Women
• Stories About Men
• Life Back Then
• The Unforgettable
• Cooking

All contributions will be screened and edited.

Please submit your memories at indiaofthepast@gmail. com. If possible, please use this template.

Major Events Pre-1950

These are personal memories of major events that had national or regional significance. The memories could also be of foreigners who were in India at that time. The events could be related to any topic, such as political, social, economic, sports, cinema, religion, etc. At the end, there could be a short epilogue - a look back from today's perspective.

Stories About Women

These are stories aabout the lives, hopes, aspirations, challenges and achievements of women of the earlier generation. This means the woman being written about should have been born at least 75 years ago, i.e., 75 years old if alive or would have passed her 75th birthday if she is alive today. The men and children in the life of the featured woman can also be part of the story. It is possible to combine the stories of two or more women in one article.

Stories About Men

Similar in style to the stories about women, with the condition that the write-ups focus on their human interest lives, and are not just a recitation of their work achievements, though a brief description of their background and achievements is required, so the readers know whom they are reading about.

Life Back Then

These are memories that are at least 50 years old. The memories could be second-hand, e.g., what a senior member of the family used to talk about. This includes office memories - 'Life was like this in the Railways, life was like this in the colleges, etc.' The memories could of foreigners who came to India at that time.

The Unforgettable

These memories are personal recollections of unforgettable events. They are of the type: "I was there when .... and I saw/heard/felt.” Examples: the cricketer who took the glorious catch, or the person who spent time with a famous person, or the person who witnessed the signing of the agreement with xxx in 19yy. The memory should be at least 5 years old, with the exception that for 'controversial' topics or issues, the memory should be at least 30 years old. (Whether it is a 'controversial' topic will be decided by the Editor).

Cooking

These memories will preserve the recipes and cooking methods that Indian grandmothers used. The recipes should be of the specialties or favourites from 30 or more years ago, though the recipe/method of cooking could still be in use. It is recognised that most grandmothers cooked by approximate meaasurements, and this is what is needed.

Along with the recipe, there should be a short description (200 words maximum) about the cook plus comments identifying the dish with a particular region, community, special role it had in the family, or any other comments/description that has a special meaning. Further, if possible, there it would be helpful to get a modernized recipe (based on cooking methods/ingredients available today) that gives comparable results today.

The recipes can also come from family cooks and grandfathers. In the case of grandfathers, they may be based on cooking on outdoor expeditions, camping, etc.