Recently I came across a series on Sony Liv called Lampan. This is based on Marathi stories by a writer named Prakash Narayan Sant, written in 1960s. I watched all the 8 episodes in binge mode and realized how these stories about boy named "Lampan" had glaring similarities to that of "Swami" of Malgudi Days and that with "Kevin" of Wonder Years.
I understand that "Lampan" series has been dubbed in many other Indian languages and has gained popularity in most. There is a reason for it.. the nostalgia of childhood memories, is language or culture independent! Everyone tends to relate to these stories of childhood and likes to immerse in that good nostalgic feel.. of old days and young hearts!
Swami and Friends of Malgudi Days by R K Narayan has been a classic and everyone including me were enamored by the character. Malgudi days by R K Narayan might be the first English book that I had read in school. I clearly remember that this book was my prize after wining the interhouse "Declamation" and "Hindi poem recitation" competitions at school!
There is a common thread between "Lampan" and "Swami" of Malgudi days that catches us all. The innocence of childhood and the wonderful memories that soothes mind and soul. I put the American series Wonder Years in this chain and feel that there is a common thread in these three coming of age stories about a child, viewed retrospectively, told by a narrator who has experienced this childhood .. the childhood of almost each of us.. the Wonder years of life.
The American series "Wonder Years" depicts the social and family life of a boy in a typical American suburban middle-class family from 1968 to 1973, covering the ages of 12 through 17. I fell in love with this series at stage of my life when I was in college. So, I liked it more then as the story was of a teenager named Kevin Arnold, that related well in those teenage plus years!
This American series is a classic and more details could be found here on Wikipedia.
Here is a brief snippet of the series opening and closing themes :
The most touching and philosophical part of the series is the finale ..
The final sounds, voice-over narration, and dialogue of the episode and series is that of Kevin as an adult, with children heard in the background:
"Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you're in diapers, the next day you're gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. I remember a place, a town, a house like a lot of houses. A yard like a lot of other yards. On a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is, after all these years, I still look back ... with wonder."
A nostalgic story of growing up, journey from childhood to adulthood. Kevin Arnolds story will forever be our own. This was the story of Wonder Years!
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P.S: A new series named "Wonder Years" premiered on American TV in 2021 in which the story revolves around a black teenager named Dean. A coming-of-age story set in the late 1960s that takes a nostalgic look at a Black middle-class family in Montgomery, Alabama, through the point-of-view of imaginative 12-year-old Dean. With the wisdom of his adult years, Dean’s hopeful and humorous recollections show how his family found their ‘wonder years’ in a turbulent time.”
