I love toys. Now tell me, who does not love toys. Whether it is toddlers, grown up kids or adults everyone loves toys that suits their age. For me, it ports me to another magical world, where I can live a surreal life that is there only in dreams.
It transports you to another life that exists only in the deepest recesses of the soul. Many a times, we do not share openly what we want to be or how we want to our life in the fear of being shamed. Whereas the truth is, this is how the heart desires to live, though life portrayal is otherwise.
Some people want to be their favorite superhero, some want to drive fast cars or super bikes, some want to be like Barbie dolls, some want to be a famous chef, some want to become policemen, solider, doctor etc. There are various characters whom we wish to epitomize at every other point of time in life, but rarely do we want it to be our own self.
Does that mean we lack self-worth? I guess not. For inspiration, we want to be something, it is just that we do not necessarily put our heart and soul to reach that end goal. Rather, we like to visualize and embody that role or part, embedded in our mind since childhood.
Fast cars and super bikes have always fascinated me. What does that signify? It could that I just want to feel the rush of blood in my veins when I turn on the throttle and zoom away into farther lands beyond the reach of other mortal humans. Likewise, I have been enamored by super heroes and it could be because, I always wanted to be a savior for the masses fighting injustice and evil mongers who torture the innocent and frail creatures that cannot fight for themselves and their loved ones.
Even at this age, these super hero characters, sci-fi gadgets, enthrall and keep me glued to the screen and books that display them. Simply because, they are the ultimate saviors to the billions of people who can be scythed otherwise by these malevolent varmints prowling our streets thirsting for blood.
During our growing up years, my brother, cousins and I would play with whatever limited toys that our parents could afford. In addition, we used to read plenty of comic books, which has these super heroes as prime characters fighting these reprobate scoundrels. We used to be creative and started creating out our own super heroes with the additions of pins, needles, pens, nuts, bolts and various other electronic items unused material. Our imagination was wildly ingenious and we were so proud of the fact that as kids we created something out of nothing or wasted products. That was some visionary conceptualization in our eyes giving us supreme satisfaction.
These days, Kids do not do such kind of things anymore as either they are accustomed to getting what they want in various forms, sizes, shapes and characters. Therefore, they do not have to spend time creating their own toys. Moreover, there is much distraction in the form of electronic gadgets (like Tablets, Mobiles and Television).
You have to accept the changes as they are and move on with it. Yet, I can certainly claim that I had such a stupendous childhood, etched in my memory, because we did something that was not readily available to us. We felt productive and innovative at the end of the day. That gave us a sense of consummate fulfillment, which, if the toys were readily available cannot give us that sense of fulfillment.
I have bought several toys for my Kid, perhaps to fulfill my own innermost desires that had a sense of void, despite the fact I claim a sense of contentment. That’s how my spouse and I see it…more than what my son’s desires, it’s mine own that drives me till this day to buy certain toys that bring a sparkle to my eyes whenever I see them.
In fact, more than my son, I would still love to play with his toys, as he has neither the time nor the wherewithal to play with them anymore. Children are under tremendous pressure to attend various classes, after school, study for exams, participate in various events, they simply do not have time to breathe in peace. How can you expect them to play indoors with these toys, when they would like to go out and burn some energy with their friends in their limited time? I certainly will not blame my kid for not playing anymore with his toys as he did justice when he had the time. It is just that he is not careful in his maintenance of these toys or anything else for that matter, as much as I would. He accords only that much value to them in his perception, though I would beg to differ.
Also, not having a sibling or cousins of his age, as I did, at home could also be a reason. He has plenty of friends though, yet they prefer playing outdoors or with gadgets. These days, children’s lifestyle has changed dramatically. I would say it is a generational or tectonic shift, over the years and is bound to see further changes with the advancement in technology.
Perhaps, that is the reason why I enjoyed so much when we started keeping dolls for Navaratri at home. I was so much engrossed in planning and execution of this; I simply relived my childhood days. In a sense, it gave me some kind of liberation from my mundane affairs. I would write a separate article about the Navaratri experience in detail.
To conclude,
Oh, how I wish I could turn back years and be a child to play with these lovely toys… to be transported to a different world…altogether again…the child in me yet lives…
Beautiful Life 