The summer vacation has begun and many children appear to have given their gadgets a break. Instead, they are busy collecting seven stones, assembling them one on top of another, and trying to master their aim by throwing a ball to topple the pile.
Does that sound like a scene from a bygone era? It appears as though the past is making its presence felt again. A new generation is now playing what were thought to be yesteryear games such as lagori, chowka bhara, goli atta, and ratho ratho.
Jagadish Kadur of Vinscent Art World, which is conducting a summer camp called ‘Halliya Badhuku’ in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, said the objective of the camp is to ensure more children are exposed to the age-old games and are encouraged to stay away from their mobile phones and computers. Around 25 children have enrolled in the camp, which started this week. Apart from “rural games”, the camp organisers also plan to conduct a theatre workshop.
Srikanth Rao, a marketing professional who lives in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, said both his daughters, aged six and 12 , are attending the camp. “This camp is unique as the kids can be seen playing on the mud ground. The best part is it has no academics at all, so my daughters are up and ready by 7 a.m.,” he said. Last year, he said, the parents also had a field day as they were allowed to play the games one day of the camp. For Mr. Rao, it brought back some good old memories.
Some of the summer camps have included gardening activities and plan to include activities to sensitise students to be eco-friendly. Yashaswini Nachappa, teaching consultant at Kiddy Drama Adda, which conducts a summer camp at JES Public School in Nagarabhavi, said they decided to include several rural games and as well as gardening in their itinerary. Students will also make art out of waste brought from home, she said.
Many others are organising experiential travels and treks. Tejaswini Gopalaswamy, co-founder of Unventured, an experiential travel company, said they were organising two summer workshops for children to introduce them to alternative lifestyles and to people who have chosen lifestyle such as sustainable farming. “The idea is to make them think beyond their curriculum and understand community living... to be in the wild and under their habitat,” she said. She added that travelling can help expose children, especially those living in cities, to different cultures.
