Are Toys Still Relevant?

During my childhood, especially on my birthday eve, I remember how desperately I would be waiting for my parents to return home. The moment they stepped in, I would eagerly run and grab their bags, looking for something special. In one such instance, to my surprise, I found a cute little puppy doll. I used to talk with it, dance with it, play with it, and even fight with it. I sometimes imagine a scenario where we try to save the world from an evil doctor, which is obviously my parents’ hard-earned pillows, which ends up getting beaten by us. Thus, the world is saved!

My shelves were always filled with toys of different kinds. They gave me happiness, company, made me creative, and taught me how to derive joy from even little things. But in today’s world, we are witnessing the digitalization of toys, replacing them with one flashy box–the smart phone. So, this has instigated a question in me–are toys becoming a relic of the past?

Once upon a time, Remote cars, Superhero action figures, Barbie dolls, Power-rangers face masks, and LEGO building sets were dominating the shelves of the kids. They not only captured the playroom, but also the imagination of every child playing. Every toy had a story behind its arrival in our homes. The childish desire, endless fasting, those raining tears reflecting an adamant resolve, yet ready to comply with any parental conditionalities, all those endeavours just to get one new toy. However, in reality, such sweet battles were fought every time for another new toy.

Besides that, playing together with our friends and sharing their toys was like a Marvel-DC crossover of universes. And further, the eventual growth of envy towards our friend’s toy would start a new battle with our parents, which would usually be met with benevolent repression. So, we used to make add-ons to our existing toys to make it look superior. Costless competition through creativity was the norm back then.

But today, all such experiences are slowly fading. The easy availability of videos has civilized the kids, making the hard-fought wars for toys barbaric. The stubborn tears are being dried by the mobile’s bright blue lights. Endless fasting is now replaced by suppressed hunger due to the immersion into the screens. Parental conditionalities now turn into phone passwords that could be solved more easily than a zeroth-level Sudoku puzzle. Those children who were supposed to script their own dramas with their toys, are now losing their imagination to a pre-recorded animated video, played endlessly by that flashy box. The shelves and rooms are increasingly becoming empty, and so is the child’s childliness.

While screens have brought in equality, accessibility, and simplicity, one cannot deny how they are slowly depriving the kids of the joy of first touch, the ecstasy of accomplishment, and the filament of imagination associated with toys. In fact, science supports the positive impact of toys on child development. Toys not only drive emotional and social growth, but also build a child’s cognitive and motor skills. Many doctors even recommend physical toys like fidget spinners for stress and anxiety relief, especially for people with ADHD and autism.

Today, mobile phone games have containerized creativity and universalized its access. However, it cannot replace the original imagination ignited by a physical toy. Parents may feel that it is inexpensive and convenient to feed their kids by showing an animated video, but they must be aware of the physical and mental costs that their children might pay later. While using a smart phone has become essential, if not inevitable, that cannot be a valid reason to confine a child’s childhood to a recorded reality. So, the solution is not to abandon it, but to acquire a balance between the animated entertainment and active experience.

Therefore, the question is not whether toys are still relevant. But whether are we willing to hand them to our next generation or not? Are we going to let the toys that once made us capture the world through imagination, vanish? Definitely an interesting question to ponder upon!

 

February 14 – Indian History of Love and Blood

On February 14, 2019, when the sun was slowly gliding down the orchards of Pulwama, a sudden explosion abruptly forced it to set in red. A day which usually twinkled in love was instantly turned black. This transformation was born out of a horrific act of terror that sent ripples across the country.

A Tragic Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day of 2019, which planned to spread the fragrance of love across the parks and party halls, instead, painted the roads and pavements of Pulwama with blood. The night, which was supposed to be passionately lit by crackers, instead, was lit by candles in an act of solidarity. The rose, which was supposed to be in the hands of a lover, was despondently left on the tomb of martyrs.

At approximately 3.15 pm in Lethapora area of Pulwama, a convoy of 78 vehicles with more than 2500 CAPF jawans travelling on NH 45 to Srinagar, was targeted by a terrorist outfit. Suddenly, a car carrying more than 300 kilograms of explosives rammed into one of those convoys, causing a huge blast that killed 40 CRPF personnel and injured many. Subsequently, a Pakistan-based militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammed, claimed responsibility for the attack. They released a video of the assailant, Adil Ahmad Dar, a 22-year-old boy from Kakapora area of Pulwama, who joined their group a year earlier. Dar’s family recalled last seeing him in March 2018, when he left his house on a bicycle one day and never returned.

While this attack was severely condemned by both the Indian and the international communities, the incident itself, which coincided with Valentine’s Day, has revealed the hidden cost of the widely celebrated love.

Love and Blood

Love and peace, often hailed as universal human values, are not truly universal; they are neither accessible nor affordable without a significant cost. The tax for the warm peace enjoyed by the citizens of the country, is unfortunately, collected from the service of the dutiful jawans. And the tragedy is that such a heavy price is not paid in a single transaction, but made every day in tears, sweat and blood along the freezing Indian borders. And major incidents like Pulwama vehemently expose one such day to the world; while other days, filled with several minor misfortunes, often are undeclared and silently go unnoticed.

Every morning, while students usually pack their bags with stationery, the Agniveers load their rifles with bullets. Unfortunately, some radicalized youths also load their bags with bombs instead. In a society where love, patriotism, and radicalization co-exist, it becomes solemnly difficult to detoxify such a union. While many efforts from outside are in place, and of course, more checks could be proposed, it is all futile unless and until we all realize something within. The love, the celebration, the freedom of thought and expression, all arise from the blood spilt on the borders every day. And every morning, if we remember such a profound selfless act by someone we haven’t seen, and recall why they are doing so, we might live a life where the cost of peace might eventually disappear.

So, Valentine’s Day celebration elsewhere may signify the serenity of love alone, but in India, it also becomes a reminder of the silent sacrifices and the gratitude that must not be forgotten. Thus, there is no doubt that the Indian calendar will remember February 14 as a day of love and blood. But the real question lies here–are we willing to remember this day, every day? The answer will determine the fate of our future!