The package of being a younger brother comes with
its privileges. But there are certain inconveniences, too. Ask Omar. You can be
treated as a meddlesome mouse or an irritating fly.
“Leave us alone, Omar. We want to play, stop bothering us,” Saif and Zainab tell Omar who is eying their brand new
games of monopoly, ludo, and carom.
There are many ways to handle the injustice of such
proportions. Sulking and whining can get things done but it is, of course, not
as effective as kicking the locked door or trying the full might of your
lungs.
Though Omar has nothing against testing the capacity
of his lungs every once in a while, he has other ways of dealing with such
discriminations. His classic response is: “Okay. No big deal. I will make a game
like this for myself.” And he sets to work.
After an hour of concentrated effort, he emerges
with a handful of all the equipment, he needs to play these games.
Loaded with the equipment, which seems like a humble
paper pouch, he asks me “Do you want to play monopoly with me?”
“Yes,” I say and look on as he takes out a paper and
unfolds it. Then he fumbles inside the paper pouch and scoops out two plastic
curtain carriers, and a dice.
We are all set to begin the match. Obviously, Omar wins
the game.
After losing
two rounds of monopoly, and feeling like a loser, I am subjected
to more rounds of Omar’s ludo and carom. Seeing my dejection, and to make me
feel good, he eventually lets me win one round of carom board. I finally
feel the winner’s high.
Omar has not just invented the portable versions of
the games, he has also changed the established rules. For instance, in carom, you
just have to flick the dice in toward the center circle. If it lands inside it
you win. No black and white pieces, no striker, no queen. And you play ludo and
monopoly with just two curtain carriers plus a dice.
Broadly speaking, Omar’s games can be jointly
labeled as “Finding your way out of any labyrinth.”
Omar's rules….well, they are about defying the
established rules to unearth more interesting possibilities.
Comments
Post a Comment