MAGIC !!!
The mere mention of word is sure to arouse some interest !
Well, let me tell you that this writeup is NOT about Magic, at least not of the kind we usually mean when we think of the word.
I’m talking about the long lost and nearly “magical” period of our lives that we all fondly remember & cherish as our “Childhood days”….
Let’s have a bit of a fun quiz –
Question –
Did you play any of the following games as a child ??
Spinning tops ( Lattoo/Bhavra ), Marbles ( Kanche/Gotya ) , Gilli danda ( Viti dandu ) , Lagori, flying Kites, Chor Police, Aandhali Koshimbir (blind man’s buff ), Jiblya/Thikrya, Aba dubi, Sagargote, and so on …
If your answer is “yes” and if the mere mention of these games and play things brings a sensation of nostalgia or “deja vu” to you, then I can safely (magically ) tell you that you were born in the early half of the 1990’s or earlier.
Okay Okay … I know this wasn’t really a demonstration of magic but a simple guesstimate here….
My point is that these and dozens of other such games and activities have been played traditionally by children for hundreds or rather thousands of years. Not only in India but all over the world. However, the advent of technology and the sweeping changes in our culture and lifestyle, brought about by the rapid digitisation of our world, has put these games at a real risk of getting lost forever.
Is it important at all to sweat over this ” trivial ” issue ? How does it matter if the kids of the present and future generations stop playing these games ? Isn’t change the reality and rule of life ??
Is it even our business to get involved as adults ?
The answer is both easy and very difficult at the same time.
For my part, I have chosen to say –
” YES ”
Yes, it is important to ensure that our children are introduced to these wonderful pastimes and that they develop and sustain an interest in these games and activities.
It’s not like we tell them to start playing these games to the exclusion of their computers and televisions. I think we need to help them (and ourselves) achieve a healthy balance between the “Real” and “Virtual” games !
There is something wonderful and important about these traditional games that cannot be simply brushed away as rose tinted & sepia toned nostalgia.
Adults or Kids – we all need our regular dose of “Fun” & “Play” to keep our sanity intact in our fast paced and “constantly connected” world !
We need to connect on a more basic, simple and human level with each other and with our own selves. There is no better way to do this than through simple and plain old fashioned games – the games that we all played as children and that we still ought to play with each other AND with our children.
Simple games, simple fun, simple and joyful lives….
If this thought excites you, & if you would actually like to do something about this, please visit our website http://soilgames.co.in to find out more.
Get in touch with us if you wish to contribute to the movement to revive our long lost / forgotten / traditional childhood games…
चलो, फिरसे खेलते हैं ..
Let’s Play Again!!!
– Dr. Sandeep S Kate
Imagination Breathing 