Rise word wise

The internet is replete with humongous amount of word games. I enjoy playing each one of them and I feel exhilarated when I complete an entire series successfully. The enriching entertainment leaves me craving for more. Recently, a youngster remarked that I could have created a record if only these games had been available to me in my student days. That set me on the path of sheer nostalgia.

We did play a whole lot of word games when we were young. The only differe-nce between the past and present is that we created our own games sometimes with the guidance of elders whereas now we get to take our pick from infinite possibilities and download them or play online. The formative years of our generation was filled with learning of many types. Reading was put at a premium. Besides, academics and conventional reading, we were also encouraged to read anything in the languages we knew.

The penchant for reading almost became an obsession with us. Needless to say, we became acutely aware of all the reading material around us, including name boards, tickets, invitation cards reservation cards, railway timetables et al. Spotting errors in spellings and syntax soon metamorphosed into a game of sorts. Scores were maintained and we were rewarded periodically.

Growing up, siblings, cousins and friends enjoyed ironing out paper covers which contained medicines or accessories and even paper cones that contained peanuts to read stories in bits and pieces. It transformed into a fun exercise because we all would spend considerable time trying to figure out what it was all about. When we could not piece it together, we spiced it up with our imagination, thus making up our own stories.

Then there were times when we would compose limericks or translate our desi film songs into English, just for the laughs. We would quiz each other on the books we read and copy down quotable quotes. This improved our language skills.

After we graduated from the first round of basic games, we solved crosswords, analysed anagrams and unravelled codes. Word building, scrabble and puzzles were an integral part of our mental diet. Some of us even created puzzles and games that were privately copied out laboriously using carbon sheets and circulated during birthday parties and get-togethers.

Medical research has discovered that playing word games can prove to be a worthwhile mental exercise and keep dementia and Alzheimer’s condition at bay. Today, these and many more games are available at the click of a button. If more and more people take to playing them while toggling with their gadgets, they will be doing a service unto themselves in more ways than one.