Childhood Week 2021
Finding a retired motorcycle as kids was a real treat for us to explore and simulate far-away imaginary trips on. The flat tyres meant it wasn't going anywhere for a while, so the belongingness was as true as steel. And the silencer burns avoidable.
Song
Testing the bathroom acoustics in the presence of rubber ducks and shampoo bottles as a kid, made the bathroom a festive space of self expression. That is right until the hot water ran out followed by a quick trip to retrieve the lost towel.
Map
Hard days at school meant evenings spent in deep slumber at the study table, and right into the world of Pokémon adventures, and treasure maps.
Grounded
The whole concept of being grounded is non-existent in the eyes of my feline friends. They'd probably just be really glad that I could spend some time watching passerby instead of whatever I'd otherwise be doing. It didn't really matter to them. Honestly, I didn't even have a cat, let alone three. But an ideal day being grounded would be a whole lot cooler with cats - the connoisseurs of being eternally grounded.
Trade
My first lesson in negotiation, mediation and conflict resolution was through trading all sorts of action and Pokémon cards. At my peak, I would even go on to mediate and oversee deals between classmates and friends.Trading tazos, cards, coins, rocks and everything else of value to a 9 year old, taught me the true essentials of life. Looking back in all honesty, we were just trading mere paper and plastics with an assigned value. But let me tell you this, trading your way up from a Ratata to a Charizard did feel like the best thing to have happened to me all summer.
Splash
It's interesting how water invokes all sorts of these emotions within us. And the countless ways we subject ourselves to this cyclical element. It's often the force and occasion which decides if it's going to be a playful tease or an exasperating episode. I've had a fair share of both. But the prompt takes me back to this one summer evening when I played around an abandoned swing with my sister for Holi, and mum took turns splashing water from a plastic tumbler.
Paper
Always loved how a piece of paper could be transformed into just about anything you wished. I promise you, learning origami was a game changer for any kid who wanted a change in toys every second school day. Paper rockets, animals, boats, masks, balloons - you name it, I made it. Functionality was debatable of course. It all started with the basic boats and spiraled into the world of military grade, gravity defying, state of the art rockets and dragons. Years later I found myself reliving the lost passion of making graceful Japanese cranes with my little nephew, who honestly did most of the learning on YouTube. Not what I had in mind in terms of talent transmission. I'd say a true 'Miyagi' moment was lost there.
Space
