SC-S29/W1- Nostalgia Of The Little Me: Games we used to play "Outdoors"

I am here to take part in SC-S29/W1- Nostalgia Of The Little Me: Games we used to play by @sohanurrahman and would love to invite @ripon0630, @kouba01, and @inspiracion.

I will come directly to your questions and answer them honestly

Name of the childhood game(s)

This is an interesting contest because during my childhood children in India played simple, outdoor games using everyday items like bats, hockey sticks, stones, and marbles, or mostly physical activity, teamwork, and creativity in neighborhoods and open grounds. These games required no fancy equipment, widespread TV, or other gadgets. Then play meant running, chasing, and strategizing under the sun, and the list goes on.

These games, plus Langdi (one-legged tagging), built bonds among us players, often lasting until dusk called us back home. When I see today's kids spending screen time, I feel strange, and trust me, I have written numerous posts about the importance of outdoor games.

Mind you, I am not including indoor games like ludo, snakes and ladders, and Antakshari, which turned songs into competitions, with players singing songs starting from the last letter of the previous song, sparking musical memory.

Statue, or what some of my friends called "Vish-Amrit," which froze players mid-action on command, testing immobility amid giggles.

 

Where and with whom you used to play

Back to childhood games, for me Kabaddi thrilled groups by splitting into raiders and defenders as the raider chanted "Kabaddi" nonstop while tagging opponents without breathing, building breath control and agility. I liked Kho-Kho, which involved one team kneeling in a row as chasers circled to tag them, emphasizing speed and tactics. It was played mostly in schoolyards, but I thought it was a girlish game, so I played it seldom.

Games like Stapoo used chalk grids on dirt. Players tossed stones into squares and hopped through without stepping on lines, honing balance, but again this game was played mostly by girls, and they seldom allowed us to play with them. I loved climbing on trees, biking, and going to parks right from a very young age. I even tried martial arts, but that did not last for long.

I loved playing Kancha (marbles), as we flicked glass beads into circles or pits, aiming for precision and collection. It was a popular game during my childhood, but again, I played only if my father did not notice me playing it with our servants' kids; however, I loved playing these games.

Yes, Gilli-Danda was my favorite game, even if it was a taboo again, as my father thought this game was low-level, but for me, it mimicked cricket with a short peg, or what we called gilli, hit by a longer stick, or danda, where hitters ran bases before opponents retrieved the gilli thing.

Another game that was on my top priority was Lattoo, or should I describe it as a spinning top? Pitted wooden tops against each other in battles of spin endurance, sharpening hand-eye coordination. We used to destroy others' lattos by hitting them hard, but that was a rare scene.

I guess one of our most played games in the evenings used to be Pithu, and who can forget the game when we carried each other on our backs and the competition was all about how far one carried his friend? The winner was the one who carried his friend the farthest. We used to bet our fruits on this game, and this was a real fun game of endurance for sure.

I developed a hobby of swimming when my father was posted in a city where the Jamuna River flowed, and then I kept it in practice as and when I got a chance. But I have seldom lived near a sea or river during my childhood, although as an adult I have lived in cities on beaches and practiced swimming as well.​

Yes, Seven Stones that we played by stacking flat stones for one team to knock down with a ball while the other rebuilt, dodging hits in a mix of aim and evasion.

My main game was badminton

Why this game was special to you

However, as I grew older, I developed an interest in cricket and played it at a higher level or could have gone even higher, but as my father was dead against games, especially cricket, since he thought it was a waste of time, I started playing badminton and touched some high points at a higher level in this game too.​

Any funny, emotional, or memorable incident related to the game

Yes, you can call it funny because once when I was on my way to a badminton practice session, I was offered a piece of sweet by a friend, which I ate while on my way to the stadium. When I reached the stadium, jogging and running the distance of about two km, which worked as a warm-up, the indoor court allotted to me was occupied, so I waited for maybe 15 minutes.

When one of the players was done, I was invited by the state champion to play a game with him. I had played with him previously but never managed more than 10-12 points out of 15 against him, but that day I took a lead right from the beginning, and the score was soon 10-2 in my favor. I could see a strange surprise on his face since he had just returned from winning the national doubles "Syed Modi Tournament."

I have the honor of playing against Syed Mahdi Hassan Zaidi, popularly known as Syed Modi, the badminton champion, as we both were coached by Dipu Ghosh.

Source Wikipedia

Suddenly I thought something was wrong with my vision as I was seeing two birds coming at me, and I was hitting the wrong one and the real one was falling on the court. Soon I felt too dizzy and abandoned the game at 10-8 and was taken home. Later I came to know that the piece of sweet that was offered to me had bhang (cannabis) in it, which knocked me out.

I have won many medals in that game up to the senior or even veteran level, but I will never forget that incident.

Life lessons or values learned from playing those games

Playing traditional games from that era, which I believe are common in the subcontinent, taught children enduring life lessons and values that shaped character. Games like Kabaddi and Kho-Kho required coordinated raids and defenses, instilling trust and reliance on teammates to succeed.

Kancha and Lattoo demanded calculated flicks and spins, teaching foresight, persistence through losses, and calm under pressure. Gilli-Danda's endless running and rebuilding after knocks built grit, while breath control in Kabaddi fostered self-discipline and endurance.

I believe those outdoor games and their rules, which enforced and emphasized honesty, turn-taking, and cheering opponents, nurtured humility and sportsmanship. I can go on and on, but I guess these are the real-life lessons we learn playing games, which make a person a team man. Also, these outdoor pursuits offer physical fitness, social skills, and moral grounding, values that are rare in digital games.

Sorry, I have nothing much in the form of my personal photos because although we had a camera even during my childhood, the filming was too costly, and black & white and developing them in print was even costlier, but I have taken photos of playing kids and my personal, so I have used all my own work.

Thanks for reading and paying attention