The article “Our children miss the fun & frolic of yesteryear” (Open Page, Nov. 13) was interesting. Children these days remain within the four walls of either their homes or classrooms. They do not care for people or their food, and do not know fun and enjoyment. Thanks to television, computers and mobile phones, they get no physical exercise. We hardly see children play in playgrounds. There are no drawing, craft or music competitions in schools.
Suresh Venkat,Vellore
As a child, I used to wonder at the subtle switch from the pambaram (top) season to the goli (marble) season. There were a number of unwritten rules. Many delightful terms like aakkar and kose were used in the game of tops. There were two types of marble games, the mukkuzhi (three pits) and the bendha (played by arranging the marbles in a square drawn on the ground). There was another popular game called kambu thalli (pushing sticks).
Eripandhu (throw ball with an old tennis ball) was the most popular game as it encouraged the players to hit others with the ball to get them out. We would run helter-skelter to escape being hit. But poor passers-by got hit very often! Eripandhu reached a feverish pitch when the ball fell into a gutter. No, the game would not end because of ‘ball-tampering.' We would be all the more careful and dodge being hit. ‘Mono cycle race' was equally popular. Old cycle tyres, rusted cycle-rims or even lids of big metallic cylinders became mono cycles. All you needed was a stick to drive the wheel. There was great thrill as we raced down the slopes with the air blowing against our ears. The winner of the race was declared the hero.
We never had to fear homework demons or the great expectations of our parents. Children were allowed to enjoy, which is why I still cherish my childhood.
R.S. Ramanujam,Guduvancheri
The article was indeed a reminder of my school days in the 1960s. On returning home from school (after walking 3 km), we would throw the school bags, take a cup of milk or tea and run to the riverbed to play. We would get back only after sunset. We would study for an hour — enough to score 60 per cent which was considered good.
One more reason for the happy life we led was our parents' simple lifestyle. In the 1960s, boys, after passing SSLC, would pursue typewriting/shorthand and land a job in the government. Girls were married off, mostly to a relative. Gone are the days of contentment.
K. Sankaranarayanan,Madurai
Coconut groves and lush green fields abutting the banks of river Vaigai was my favourite spot to unwind and play hide and seek with buddies. The silent walk to catch buzzing butterflies and the prolonged wait to look at the train passing through our village railway station are still fresh in my mind.
M. Jeyaram,Sholavandan
