Poppins

Another priceless treasure of my childhood was "Poppins". The pack of 10 candies stacked together, held together in a butter paper and thin foil, wrapped in a bright colourful paper. The wrapper was simple but attractive.

I remember going to grocery store with my mother and getting the Poppins. "Share them with your sister and friends," my mother would always instruct me despite knowing that I would share them even though I am not told. I remember the joy of holding them in my tiny hands and carrying them.

The best part of Poppins was the favour of candies. First thing that we would do is to carefully unwrap them to see which favours wr have received and how many flavours have been repeated. Strawberry, raspberry, and orange flavoured candies were everyone's favourite. Somehow there would be no takers for the lime/lemon flavour candies. Within our friends we had an unwritten rule which we would diligently follow: The one who brings Poppins finishes the candies that are not claimed. But the yellow and green coloured candies were too sour.

We also had a rule for distribution of Poppins. The host (the one who brought the candies) would unwrap the candy. The host would approach each friend and ask which flavored candy they want. As per the friend's choice, the host would give the candy. The host may secure their favorite flavour before distributing them among the friends.

We also would try crushing the candies and adding them to drinking water, making a cool refreshing drink. However it would take a very long time for the candies to dissolve and make a homogenous solution. But it was worth the wait.

Poppins candies were an integral part of my childhood. The colour of the candies, the taste, and sharing with friends made them special. Later we started realising thay despite of colours and flavours, all candies taste almost similar and there was hardly any difference in the flavour profile. Yet we still had the most popular and the most unwanted flavored Poppins. As we started growing up the popularity of Poppins started to diminish. I belive for a few years the production of Poppins completely stopped. The iconic Poppins disappeared from the circulation, markets, and grocery stores.

A couple of years ago, Poppins made a comeback. The production and circulation of Poppins began again. When Poppins hit the market, their target audience was different - it was nit children but adults who grew up enjoying Poppins. Surprisingly I saw a lot of adults buying, carrying, and eating Poppins. While eating Poppins, all adults had similar expressions on their faces - they were remembering their childhood days, they were remembering their childhood friends, they were reliving the days that are never going to return. It was a time travel. It was a short trip to the childhood.

Even today when I see Poppins at grocery stores, I buy them sometimes. Now I do not have to distribute the candies because there are no friends around. The time has changed but the Poppins still bring back the memories of the innocent times.