My early days

source: google

Being born and having lived in village, i am acquainted with Bhutanese traditional games like Khuru (dart), Doegor , Dha (archery), Sok som, Je dom and all in my early childhood days where some of my fortunate friends might have never heard of it, keep aside having played, not for lack of interest from their side but being blessed with advance and modern toys.

We played those games in our early days not because we love playing but in a way to free our parents to attend the usual farmers routine, as only a tiring and dedicated hard labor seem rewarding to their family at the end of the day. So as to engage us in some games after breakfast before starting their works, my father would make me bow and arrows; those were my first cutest toy to play with, dress the stone with hammer to have it flat and round so as to fit well in my palm, shape the branch of tree, sawing and planing with knife to give a perfect shape of Khuru that i like, and with a pair of hens feather onto each one of it, he definitely  wins my broad smile in appreciation to his skill.

And sometimes as he takes oxen for grazing in jungle, taking days off after tiring days,  i use to accompany him. There i use to play je dom (a pair of  either Y or I shaped tree branch with sharp and pointed tip) and some times sok som (a pair of small bamboo shoots with sharp and pointed tip) as he enjoys the puff of bere (tobacco leaf) that he learned during militia days ( i suppose).

Remembering those cheerful days with my father, the fun i had playing with him with so called toy-version of his, i could not stop myself from making those for my nephew last winter. At first i was of a opinion that he may not like it, as he has been playing with those toy-bricks, balakute and all being an fortunate nephew to those earning uncle's and aunt , but to my dismay he was having fun with my version-of-toy. That very moment, had i been equipped with all those gadgets and accessories science has blessed the world with, i would have captured at that instant. That satisfaction i derived after seeing him play with fun made me think how my father might have felt seeing me play with his so called toys. Though i'm old enough to console myself with past memories, i miss those toys as much as i miss my Lt. father. Deep inside me, i miss you Apa, and i always suppose you are with me, no matter where i am.