Rashmi Rekha Das & Himanshu Guru
It’s a very common sight nowadays to see almost every child hooked to smartphones or tablets for playing games. Outdoor games, including sand play, have become passé for kids. Earlier, children had a natural affinity for sand play. Now, kids get drawn towards video games, computer games and stop playing with sand. Orissa Post spoke to kids to know why they are not fascinated anymore by sand play.
Anwesha Priyadarshini, a Class-V student of St Xavier High School, Palaspalli, says she loves to play with sand. She says her favourite pastime is to play with sand and she erects temples, houses, animals, gods and goddesses in sand. She makes it a point to play with sand everyday from 8am to 9am and from 4pm to 6pm. Anwesha says her best friend Isat Jahan among other friends, however, does not like playing with sand. “Playing with sand makes me happy. No other game is as entertaining as this. However the weather may be, I never stop myself from playing with sand”, Anwesha says.
Ommsai Bishnuprasad Behera, a Class-III student of Saraswati Sishu Mandir, says he does not enjoy playing with sand and he does so only for the sake of his friends. Ommsai says he does not find sand play as exciting as playing with mobile phones. “Though I play outdoor games every day, I don’t find playing in sand very interesting. I prefer playing video games rather than playing in sand as it makes my clothes dirty”, Ommsai says.
Today’s youth are more inclined to stay indoors and watch television and play computer games than go outside to play, according to Ommsai’s father.
Satyakam Mohapatra says he plays with sand and finds it more delightful than indoor games. But in Bhubaneswar he neither gets the time nor the opportunity to do so as he has tuitions to attend regularly. “Only after 8 pm in the night do I get some time. Again, in Bhubaneswar, we hardly find sand. In the riverbeds we have sand, but I don’t think that is the ideal place for kids to play. Yes, when we visit our village during the summer vacations, I play with my friends in the sand. We build temples, decorate them with pebbles and after sometime bring them down ourselves. It is a great experience,” Satyakam says.
Tiarah Guru says she has never tried her hand at playing with sand. “I don’t have any idea about how to play in sand. I have never played with it. Sometimes, I play outdoor games with my friends in the park close to our apartment, but it is full of grass. Besides, I play video games on my father’s mobile phone. Angry Birds is my favourite game. Sambalpur is my native place and I have seen kids playing there with sand. But I never wanted to join them as their clothes get dirty and soiled. But it must be a good experience,” says Tiarah.
Raja Panigrahi says he loves to build sand castles. “I love it very much. Some girls and boys of my age join us in making temples and castles in sand. I have also heard that these days Oriya people are earning a lot of name and fame for making structures in sand. I’m interested in it, but have not got a chance to pursue my interest yet. Though my parents know that playing with sand is my pastime and I want to do something with this, so far they have not found a teacher for me, who can teach me sand art,” Raja says.