Again....it is summer vacation time. We are in the mid of May and only few more days to go for the vacation to get over.
Nowadays, kids get bored in just two days of vacation. I remember my school days. My tamil folks can relate to playing 'dhayakattai', 'pandi', 'kallangai', 'pallankuzhi', 'paramapadham', etc.... We used to pick just one of them and keep playing for the whole day. We only take break for lunch and tea and wind up post 6 pm. Sometime it continues like a test series... until we become 'bondi' (bankrupt in the game), but we never used to get bored.
I am an avid reader since my childhood and hence had a habit of visiting a nearby 'old paper mart' to request him to spare some books on a rental basis. My visits used to continue till the end of the vacation. I agree that we didn't have much exposure to television or internet but our childhood days were never boring. Now, children have got so many channels to watch hence before they make up their mind to watch something they get bored.
Being with cousins was the best thing that happened to me on holidays. Me, my brother and my cousin sister were the "3 musketeers" roaming around together almost the entire vacation time. We used to have our own share of fights and arguments but at the end of the day we make up and ensure we had loads of fun. Thanks to our modernization...and nuclear family set up....children of this generation are totally cut off from the happiness of being with cousins. To add to it, the gadgets that are available to them make them move away from everything and everyone. Though I ensure that my child does not use them more often...still...at times I really pity for her when I think, "what else she can do"?...
We too are to be blamed. If they even go to their granny's house we keep calling them every hour to check how they are....But in those days when we went to our uncle/aunty's place... only when our parents saw us back after holidays they will be able to talk to us and know how we were. So to speak, it helped us to be more creative and independent. I remember narrating so many stories when I got back from vacation. Even now, I share them with my husband occassionally. Those were real fun-filled days.
One big summer task used to be making homemade 'vattal', a snack dried under the sunlight. We used to sit for hours together with our granny the whole day under the sun, making those round tiny eatables, which we dry under the sunlight. But sun was also not this hot with us. He used to be our morning motivation and a friend. We ignored the elders at home yelling at us, "don't be out the whole day...it's hot!".
It was safe to freely roam around. Today, we are not allowing our children to play outside and spoiling them with various gadgets and made to feel scared really about many crime against children. At least we must help them play some indoor games to avoid them staying with their ipads, tablets, smart phones or gaming consoles.
We even used to climb mango trees in our house/nearby our houses to get loads of mangoes which we temper with salt & chilli powder and have them together. It helped us to learn 'sharing' things with our cousins/friends. Unfortunately we hardly find trees now and it is 'us' who had cut down the trees to build our houses... isn't it?
Aah! Down the memory lane....! I feel 'if I can' get back to those days, I am ready to disown my mobile phone, television, internet, and other comforts for that matter. But reality is...we cannot change the change that had already happened. But one thing is for sure, we---friends/cousins---are still in touch and age doesn't matter. With the same gadgets we can get back to our childhood days' pleasures... You know how? We can stay in touch daily with them like before, can pull each others legs with witty chats and funny jokes.
I suddenly had a self-doubt a few days back like whether the relationship I have with my friends/cousins is 'still' intense and profoundly positive... compared to what it was then, so I sent a riddle to them 'to describe me in a word'. The replies not only made me happy but it also boosted my morale and gave me a reassurance that the distance really doesn't matter.
Let's enjoy our life like we are still a child. We are the same old funny peeps who can share anything between us without an iota of shame. Guess what? They may also be longing to see us back in our old form.... Remember, "your vibe attracts your tribe"....so trace back all of them!
Stay happy! Stay positive!
- Suganthi Sankaran
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