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Hobbies of the past


 



My generation did not have the misfortune of playing television/computer games and IPhones mysteries, while cooped up within the four walls of the home. 



Mine was a robust period where we spent most of our time outdoors. We had an assortment of games like kite flying, top spinning, marbles both the glass made ones and the lime coated ones and cigarette box covers to name a few. Each game lasted a season that did not correspond with the months of the year. It is strange how the games transcend into another though not following the months of the year. Most of these games were not expensive as they were home made and required effort and hand work. For example tops were made from shaving a length of a guava tree with the use of broken bottles into the shape of a top. Kites were made of bamboo and paper though special kite papers could be sourced from sundry shops at low prices. 




These games too had rules which were strictly adhered to without intervention from parents. For example in a kite fight when one kite is freed of its string all participants could race for it with the understanding that when one picked it up, there would be no dispute as to its ownership.  Finders keepers was the gentlemanly order. Top spinning in the west coast of Malaya was different from those found in the eastern states. Most tops were home made, although shops too stocked machine cut tops. In the west the tops were usually carved out of guava wood as they are tougher than the machine made soft wood sold in shops. A nail is driven into the wood that has been carved out as a top.    Then the head of the nail is driven into the top and the opposite end is sharpened. A string is wound around the top beginning from the nail and going to the top middle ridge and is flung to make it spin. Other players will spin their tops to bring down the spinning top. A dent is usually made by the nail of the top that hits the spinning top. The idea is to cause as much damage to the spinning top as you can when the nail hits against the spinning top. A fatal blow will ensue if the spinning top is broken into two by the new entrant.


The cigarette box covers were slid into the covers to make an assortment of contraptions that are used to adorn the houses.


Marbles are less arduous. One uses your marble to strike out the marbles that are placed in a drawn circle and whatever marbles are shot out from the circle would be for keeping. Usually the winner would have two pockets full of marbles making holes in the pockets of pants needing patch work by the mothers.

Fights at these games were very rare unless there is discovery that there has  been foul play.


All contents (c) Ganapathy Ramasamy, mynameisgana@blogspot.com


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