Simple joys of rustic games

RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE

There was a time when we breathed fresh air, drank pure water from the well in our village, ate fresh, shiny and seasonal vegetables and fruits. Above all, there was a time when we played simple games in a salubrious and exhilarating rural environment. My childhood remains etched in my memory for all the innocent joys we derived from playing our rural games, quite alien to the present generation.

Tossing flat, hollow stones to create waves in our village-tank and playing a game of Top are what I reminisce with joy.

Standing on the bank of the village-tank, a band of children would fling flat, hollow, thin stones -- preferably, pieces of broken earthen pots -- across the surface of the serene, still water. The stones, while sailing across, would stir up a chain of eddies making us scream in bubbling joy and excitement! Sometimes, the stones would hit the water hard and sink with no circles appearing to our dismay.

The game required a lot of practice and skill. The success depended equally on the way the stones were thrown and the choice of stones. The throw could not be too fast or too slow. The stones used were to be neither too big nor too small; not too rough or too smooth, and had to be flat and hollow to slide freely over the surface of the water.

Another game we enjoyed with utter enthusiasm was the Top. We would gather on a playground with our Tops and strong threads. The player would wind the thread tightly around the Top, from its upper, wider part to its pointed base. Then with a tight grip over the thread, would release the top with a measured force on the smooth ground, pulling the thread off methodically and skillfully giving a slight twist to the top and the top would rotate on its needled-base for a few seconds till it dropped on the ground. It was a joy to watch the top moving in circles, we would let out peals of laughter, acknowledging the triumph of the player.

Like the game with stones over water, this game too required skill and regular practice. Of course, every player in our band practiced consistently and played the skillfully, completely engrossed. We all enjoyed the games immensely.

It's no hyperbole if I mention that such simple, rural games we played in our childhood left behind a trail of "honeyed memories" in my life, which I look back with joyous nostalgia in my adult years.