For our eyes only – blind man’s bluff

There comes a time in the life of every person when he or she wants to enact a role that is not his original self. One of these is that of a blind person. In fact, this instinct of role reversal begins in childhood. That is when children cover their eyes and play blind man’s bluff. A group of them gets together and one among them has to become ‘blind’ by getting his or her eyes covered. The others then move away and hide in nearby places. When indoors, these could be behind walls, doors, or cupboards. When outdoors, they could opt for trees, shrubs, or any similar object. Once they have sought out apparently safe ‘hideouts’, the blindfolded child has to move around and locate at least one of them and catch or at least touch him or her. The game becomes interesting as the children try to confuse the ‘blind’ kid by giving wrong directions.

Incidentally, this game is not meant only for the children. Even the adults enjoy such activities, especially when they go outdoors. Here the elders have a field day recollecting their childhood. The usual procedure is to blindfold the individual, who has to break an earthen pot. He or she is given a long bamboo stick and the pot is placed at a distance. The ‘blind’ person has to break the pot. Sounds simple enough but the barrage of directions given by the others make it difficult to hit the target. This game is usually scheduled before lunch and provides unbridled fun while it lasts. Incidentally, this is a gradually vanishing game because such outdoor picnics are rare nowadays. Such modes of relaxation are outdated in the age of smartphones because social sites like Facebook provide much more variety.

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We have stolen the childhood of our children

There is always nostalgia associated with the good old days. Our fathers and grandfathers used to talk about their good old days, we talk about ours and, when our children grow up, they will also talk about theirs. Only – our children will blame us of stealing their childhoods away from them on several pretexts – most important one being ambition.
Right now, it is ambition that is driving the world – the ambition to be the Number One in whatever sphere he or she chooses. And, the kids are goaded on by their parents who want to see the children not just prosper but remain on top.
In the bargain, there are those painful suicides when the child is unable to come up to the expectation of their parents. When we hear such news, we curse the education plans of today, we curse the load of books that the kids have to carry to school and back, we curse the parents who send their kids to coaching classes expecting them to perform miracles. The subject is heavily debated in TV forums, in kitty parties, in the bus while on the way to office and even during lunch breaks. We shed crocodile tears and, forget about it once the novelty wears off.
It is the children and their childhood that take the beating.

Let us turn to the topic of outdoor games that kids of today play. Cricket will undoubtedly come out on top, thanks to the aggressive promotion of the game through every possible media. The dream of every schoolboy is to become another Sachin Tendulkar who came to the international scene when he was only 14.
Even though there cannot ever be another Sachin, there is no harm in dreaming because dreams are what makes life worth living. Hence, we see cricket being played at all levels in lanes and by lanes hoping that some Achrekar Sir will come across some child and groom him for the future. Al the children cannot participate because only a selected number can play at a time – eleven in each team. Obviously, there is immense competition to get into the team and, over a period of time, graduate in to the league of seniors.
There will be heartbreaks, and disappointments and kids have to learn to live with these factors negatives of life.
(to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Mangoes are forever

Ripe mangoes and mango cakes or amsatta