Growing up in a small town, away from the madness of cities, the options for fancy recreational activities were indeed limited. We neither had access to the Appu Ghars, nor the Nicco Parks, or the Water Kingdoms. We had to resort to all sorts of low-tech options, involving people and day-to-day items.
One such activity was pretending to ride a parked scooter, wearing a over-sized helment (dad's), and legs dangling high up in the air. Remember all the ingenious sounds we used to make, pretending to race through busy streets? My personal favourite was the sound of the horn, clear and loud enough to scare a buffalo!!
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I have never been a fan of sour/tangy food items. My teeth develop a funny (but highly irritating) sensation every time.
However, there is an exception, and I thank the Gods for that. When it comes to raw mangoes, sliced and served with black salt and red chilli powder, I couldn't and still cannot control myself - the gastronomical equivalent of 'Bungee jumping'. Using a slingshot to bring down raw mangoes was one of the ethical activities I did. I must admit I did try hitting birds or squirrels with it as well. It's another thing that I always missed hitting a moving target. Too much calculations, perhaps. Or my hands trembled. It's a fact that, with the arrival of mobile phones, a number of household items have become redundant. The list is endless: torch, calculator, map, compass, radio, clock, book, and so on. One special gadget, very dear to my heart, has also gone missing. Good ol' magnifying glass. It can be assumed that people use their phone cameras to do the zooming exercise nowadays. Or perhaps, in this super-busy world, there is hardly any spare time to patiently observe and savour the details of an object, be it a postage stamp or an antique vase.
I remember using a magnifying glass for focussing the sun-rays to burn paper, dry leaves, and sometimes, insects. Is it the combined Karma of a lot of people (who have burned insects like me) that the global temperature is rising, and humanity might get burned to a crisp eventually?? How many of you played with millipedes or centipede, the insect version of a “Touch-me-not” plant?? I sure did. Honestly speaking, it was indeed fun. Upon application of external force (in this case, a slight nudge), to witness a crawling insect coil instantly into a button-like form was intriguing enough.
The millipedes (the reddish ones) were in fact much more appealing than the centipedes (the shiny, black ones), because of two reasons: firstly, these remained coiled for a longer duration, and secondly, looked far less intimidating. The black ones were stockier and far swifter, and hence commanded relatively higher degree of fear. Making paper aeroplanes was definitely an exciting exercise. All the folds had to be crisp and proper. Otherwise, the plane wouldn't take off, or travel the distance.
A piece of paper, if folded in certain particular ways, is likely to stay afloat for a while, thanks to physics. As kids, we used to release the planes in a certain fashion, which made sense, such as lifting the left hand (or the right, basically the so-called weaker one) for stability, closing the left eye (or the right) for better aim, etc. But what was with the childhood ritual of giving a blow at the back of the plane just before releasing it?? Some sort of spell to summon the God of wind??? Knowledge is gathering the information that all life forms need water to survive. Wisdom is understanding exactly how much and why. The fact that over-watering, and surprisingly not under-watering, has resulted in more plant casualties was something beyond belief back then.
Despite instructions from family members, I always ended up giving more water than necessary, especially to the saplings. Hence, had to face a lot of disappointment in the field of gardening early on. It was simply bewildering. I mean, is too much love and pampering bad for growth? How could it be?? The forgotten art of catching dragonflies required synergy of three crucial elements: Patience (to outdo the reflexes of an ever-vigilant insect), Perseverance of the highest order (to continue the pursuit after failed attempts), and Stealth / Ambush tactics (to get close enough to the subject without being detected to administer the 'coup de grace').
The trick was to grab it by the tail first. Once caught. the insect tried to free itself by curling back and biting. That was the signal to slowly get hold of its body without damaging the precious wings. Once this was done, all the struggles of the insect to escape went in vain. Those were indeed moments of privilege when my grandfather insisted on taking me to the local market. First of all, I just loved the experience of sitting on a bicycle with a nylon bag in my hand, with cool breeze brushing my face. Back then, we hardly came across polythene bags (Thank God!!!). Most importantly, one could sit with one's eyes closed, if someone else was riding.
The most exciting part, however, was to witness the hustle-bustle at the fish market. That entire setup was heavenly - such chaos, yet full of life!!! There was always a cat somewhere around - either coldly observing from a distance, or trying to seduce with the hope of getting some fish tit-bits. With elderly people around, even the fishmongers couldn't object to my exploratory activites. The traditional trade of 'cotton-beating' / 'rui dhunai' (Hindi) / 'tulo dhona' (Bengali) is definitely a dying craft. You don't hear that intriguing sound anymore. So is the necessary art of child-beating or 'dhulai'. Although highly effective in keeping an entitled kids' demands on check, it has a dark, unjust angle. Or used to have, thanks to the accepted 'one-child only' policy.
Be it innocent mistakes or intentional mischiefs, more often than not, the elder siblings were the ones who had to bear the brunt of parent's wrath. Psychologically, it made no sense. But pragmatically, it did. In terms of the capabilities to withstand the thrashings and the corresponding sense of satisfaction on the part of the parents, the elder ones were far safer bets. Back then, there were no fancy gadgets. No costly toys. No branded clothes or delicacies. Limited quantities of unnecessary pampering. Reasonable demands (on rare occasions). Yet, all the human senses were far more satisfied and happier. That glint in the eyes upon hearing the bell of an ice-cream wala, especially during the hot summer afternoons, is all but gone.
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ConceptOnce in a while, we all reminisce about the good ol' childhood days. Back when the lifestyle had a carefree rhythm. Archives
August 2020
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