CHILDHOOD GAMES

   

NEITHER 'PUB-G' NOR 'TEMPLE RUN' WHAT AMUSED US WAS FLYING PAPER-MADE AIRPLANES,

RUNNING BEHIND EACH OTHER BAREFOOT ON EMPTY LANES,

HITTING EACH OTHER WITH RUBBER MADE 'GULER',

FUN WERE THE DAYS WHEN WE PLAYED SILLY LITTLE CHILDHOOD GAMES.

HOW AFTER BEING BACK FROM SCHOOL WE PUT ASIDE OUR BAGS, DO THE DAILY ROUTINE OF WASHING HANDS, HAVING LUNCH, DOING SOME HOMEWORK OR SLEEPING, WAKE UP AND WAIT...WAIT FOR THE EVENING TO COME.SO THAT WE COULD STEP OUT OF OUR HOMES AND DISCUSS WHAT GAMES TO PLAY.

MY FAVOURITE WAS 'CHUPAN CHUPAI'-WHERE WHILE THE DENNER COUNTED TO TEN WE RAN WITH OUR SMALL FEET TO FIND A PLACE TO HIDE. THRILLING IT WAS!! SOUNDS OF 'THAPPA' AND 'ICE PICE' WOULD FILL THE SURROUNDINGS. SOMETIMES THE OPTION OF 'CHOR POLICE', 'SATOLIYA' 'DARK ROOM' AND OTHERS(HAD MANY CHOICES ) WAS ALSO THERE. IF BORED WOULD PLAY IN DAMP SAND PILE PUT FOR CONSTRUCTION, ATTACK EACH OTHER WITH BALLS OF SAND AND RETURN HOME SAND COLOURED TO GET THE DAILY DOSE OF SCOLDING!!

ME AND MY COUSINS INVENTED A NEW VERSION OF 'CHUPAN CHUPAI', WHERE WE ALL, EXCEPT THE DENNER, WOULD COVER OURSELVES IN SHEETS AND ASK THE DENNER TO RECOGNIZE EACH ONE OF US. WE ALSO PLAYED CARD GAMES- 'BLUFF', 'UNO', 'SATTI ATTHI' AND THE LIST WOULD GO ON...

ALL THIS CAME TO FLASH MY MEMORY WHEN  MY ROOMMATES AND I CHATTED ONE EVENING SHARING OUR CHILDHOOD MEMORIES. ONE MENTIONED 'DABBA EXPRESS'-WHERE A DABBA WAS THROWN AND WHILE THE DENNER FOUND IT AND PUT IT BACK IN ITS PLACE ALL OTHERS HAD TO HIDE, ANOTHER VERSION OF 'CHUPAN CHUPAI'. THEN WE TALKED OF MANY MORE LIKE, 'TIPI TIPI TOP WHAT COLOUR YOU WANT?' OR MAKING A PILLOW OUT OF A HANDKERCHIEF.

THOSE REMEMBRANCES OF OUR CHILDHOOD STILL THRILLED US, EYES GLITTERED AND MIND WAS REFRESHED. HOW LUCKY WERE WE...BUT THE BIGGER WE GREW THE SMALLER OUR CIRCLE AND LESSER THE CHANCES OF SEEING CHILDREN PLAYING THESE SORT OF OUTDOOR, FUN AND RELAXING GAMES TODAY. MOBILE GAMES SEEMED TO BE THE TREND AMONGST THEM. PARENTS HAVE TO PUSH THEIR CHILDREN TO PLAY OUTDOORS, WHILE THEY BOW DOWN THEIR HEADS TO TECHNOLOGY. THE BURDEN OF HOMEWORK, TUTIONS AND COACHINGS HAS MADE THINGS MORE WORSE BY DEPRIVING THEM OF THE TIME THEY COULD HAVE SPENT IN PLAYING THESE GAMES.

TECHNOLOGY OR CHILDREN CANNOT BE BLAMED WHOLLY. REASON BECAUSE AS CHILDREN, WE HAD MANY PEOPLE SURROUNDING US-DADA, DADI, CHACHA, CHACHI. WE COUSINS ALONE WOULD MAKE A CRICKET TEAM. THE SCENARIO OF JOINT FAMILY REPLACED BY NUCLEAR ONES HAS LEFT FEWER CHOICES TODAY, TECHNOLOGY BEING ONE OF THEM AND PRIOR TO ALL. 

THIS CHANGE IN HABIT OF INDOORS HAS AFFECTED THEIR MINDSET-FRUSTRATION, DEPRESSION AND MANY MORE AILMENTS AT SUCH SMALL AGE,

THEY MIGHT BE TECH-SMART BUT HAVE LOST THEIR CHILDHOOD'S MOST IMPORTANT PHASE...