Games We played

I really pity today's generation of kids who really don't know what its like to go out and play with kids your own age.

They lack social skills and most of them are either glued to the 'Idiot Box' or the computer to even explore their surroundings or discover new games.

Oh this not a bitchy post but just an observation. I was chatting with my cousin and suddenly remembered the weird games we invented and had a gala time when we were growing up together.


I grew up with a younger cousin(X) and a sister (Y) just a year older than me. My eldest sis (Z) is quite a bit older so was never interested in what we were up to.

'Y' was a mature and disciplined kid for her age and she expected her wayward and curious sibling (Moi) and her unruly cousin 'X' to behave and fall in line. She was a enthusiastic participant in our games in the beginning but eventually gave up when she saw that we were getting more innovative and adventurous in our games.


These are a few games we played :

1) Dead Dog : You need a bed sheet, a willing dead dog and two people to pull the sheet. The technique is simple. We took turns to play the much coveted role of 'Dead Dog' and the other two would be pulling the dead dog through the house. Basically being the dead dog was the best deal. You got a free joyride in spite of being labelled a stinky dead animal. This game was discovered when we saw Muncipality workers in our city piling up dead dogs on a blanket and dragging them to be carried away. I know our minds were really a wealth of imagination.


2) Dark Room: This was a favourite game in summers when it was scorching outside and not possible to play in the sun.

You cover all the windows of a room with dark curtains to block any light coming in and make the room pitch dark . One person will try searching for the others who are hiding in the same room. It so much fun when no one can see anyone.

3) Burrowing : This was a bane for our mother. She used to send us to play dressed neat and tidy and we came back looking like street urchins.
The ingredients required are a big mound of sand and eager children who want to burrow in the sand.
The lane we grew up in (mysteriously) always had a big mound of sand throughout the year. Looking back I think it must be a kindly neighbour who knew how precious the sand pile was for us kids. The game was to dig a big hole in the sand and then sit in it and cover yourself up completely with sand.

4) Mudslides : We never needed any equipment to have fun. Whatever was available suited us just fine.
Our House was getting some repairs so the workers had dug up mud at the back of our house and had dumped it in our front yard. The mud pile was nearly 6 feet high. Added to that, it was the monsoon season so the mud was quite slick and wet. Here it was, a readymade slide for us. We used to slide down whooping with joy. This was not only for us but the entire klan of kids from our neighbourhood. I can only imagine the scrubbing we must have got from my mother. Poor Mom.

5) Make your own swimming pool : This was a special favourite of my cousin 'X' and me. In the monsoon we used to go up on the terrace and block all the outlets on the terrace so that we could collect water in the torrential downpour. Once the water was upto our knees it was good enough for a swim.
This game of ours went on for a couple of years and was immediately banned by my parents when they discovered the mystery behind the leaky roof.

Childhood was such a wondrous time for me. I never needed any games to entertain myself. Anything and everything could be used to play with. A pile of rocks, a length of clothes line or even a 'Guavava ' tree were used to invent new games.

I never needed a computer, a PS2 or game CD's to stir my imagination. I am sure most of us were more interested in waiting for play time with friends from our neighbourhood. The eager wait to come from school and just gather all friends and start a game of Hide n' Seek, waiting for the summer holidays to begin and the thrill of learning to master a new game was all the head rush we needed.