Mud Laddoos

Mud laddoos

‘Oh no! Another Thomas the tank engine! Adi has so many already’! I admonished my travelling salesman husband for the umpteenth time.

Adi, on the other hand had already ripped open his new toy and rushed back into his den to play with it.

‘See his joy, what can be more important than that!’ remarked Vivek as he unpacked. 

The thing was, Vivek missed us in his long travelling trips and somehow felt closer to us when he went scourging for ‘stuff’ for us.

But I on the other hand had to deal with the mountain of toys that our son Aditya already had, while wondering where to store the newest one.

‘Mud laddoos is what we made when we were kids, hours went by in our backyard, friends and us, making heaps of clay laddoos in the soft soil of our Lucknow house. Such joy we got out of nothing. Climbing walls, playing in attics.’ I went on muttering my rhetoric to no one in particular.

‘Kids today dont have that option, Sunita’, Vivek retorted, taking my bait. ‘Where is Adi going to find mud in our concrete jungle, tell me?’

I knew, he was right, but the thought saddened me.

Every new movie, every cartoon series came their own paraphernalia of toys.

Peppa pigs, Toy Story, Power Rangers, Ninja turtles, Bob the builder.. the list went one. We had some plastic representation of them all stashed in Adi’s room somewhere.

Often on the streets i saw kids of the watchmen and maids make games using nothing but used tyres, sticks, ropes and stones. There was more imagination and excitement in those games than anything one could buy in a store.

Adi’s room was a little cartoon haven by itself, with a bed that resembled a car, one wall with a jungle book scene and a swing that hung from the roof. Adi had been delighted with it at first, but soon seemed bored. Especially since there were no friends or siblings to fight or share, at hand.

‘Vivek, lets do something- at least, once listen to me’ I begged my poor husband, now too tired to argue.

‘What?’

‘Lets not buy him anything for the next four months’. Lets see what pans out.’ I said.

And so it happened, that Adi for a while, had to contend with what he had already. 

Initially, he still seemed bored, the toys that had attracted him had been played to ad nauseum, were neatly stacked in their colourful cartons. He was instead looking at the ipad more. Oh, no, was this a jump from the frying pan into the fire? One more parenting idea to be dumped? I wondered. But not to be easily deterred, I waited.

‘Adi’ come to the dining table, pav bhaji is ready’ i shouted, the second time that evening. It had been couple of months of our no-new-toy- ploy.

‘Nowadays Adi doesnt let me in his room, you know’ i complained to Vivek.

‘Adi! What are you doing? ‘

I peaked into his adda.

And this is what i saw..

Adi had created an entire scene with his toys- Woody of Toy story, was rescuing Peppa, with a skipping rope, against the Ninja turtles and the power rangers were sitting on Thomas the tank engine waiting to take Peppa away to safety while... Adi was muttering something too..

‘Careful, watch out..’, with a overturned carton which acted as a mountain behind which lay other ‘rescued’ toys..

‘ Haha...Adi! that is so sweet’

‘Mom, go away, am busy’ said my four year old brat.

I looked at Vivek, bursting with joy. Hmmm, kids will find a way, even in our concrete jungles. 

They will make their mud laddoos, i thought, covering the evening snack.