Making life-changing decisions is a responsibility we look forward to since childhood, but becoming adults isn’t a cakewalk at all. All we do now is look for weekends to escape reality and take much needed breaks from the chaos.
And the day to do that is finally here!! After the entire week spent ‘adulting’, here’s a way to escape into childhood yet again this #SaffronStaysSunday. Remember these outdoor games – gathering the neighborhood kids together, forming groups, getting all dirty and messy, even tired yet having such a lot of fun? Why not get the kids out and show them how it’s done? Gather your cousins, neighbors and family, and relive your childhood games just like you always did.
1. LAGORI
For representation purpose only
The number seven (of stacked stones) can either make or break you. Test your reflexes this Sunday by stacking colorful stones instead of paperwork.
2. GILLI DANDA
For representation purpose only
Our favorite gully game that bonded us even before gully cricket did. The striking sound of the gilli takes us right back to our childhood “maidan”.
3. KANCHA or MARBLES
For representation purpose only
Sharpen your eyesight or lose all your marbles (literally and figuratively)! Test your focus, coordination and finger-mobility to loot all of your best friend’s marbles.
4. TUG ‘O’ WAR
For representation purpose only
Opposites attract not by choice but also by force. Remember pulling on opposite ends of a rope with all your might to not only beat your rivals but also make them fall!
5. KHO KHO
For representation purpose only
Even if you’re resting, there’s no rest! The ultimate game of teamwork fused with sweat, mud and never ending energy keeps you motivated, enthusiastic and young at heart.
6. LATTOO or SPINNING TOP
For representation purpose only
(Also known as bhavra) was way cooler before beyblades came into existence. You could do as you please with these engrossing toys like battling to see whose top can withstand the most hits and stays spinning the longest, or simply launching them at the same time to see which one spins the longest!
7. CHUMPAM CHUPAI or HIDE ‘N’ SEEK
For representation purpose only
What do we even say about everyone’s all-time favorite hide-and-seek? Jog your memory this Sunday and get your 007 on.
8. FOUR CORNERS
For representation purpose only
A simple game that we played to torture the player tagged “it”. Choose your corner and dodge any obstacle that comes in your way.
9. CHOR SIPAHI or POLICE & THIEVES
For representation purpose only
Like the game of ‘tag’, one team of police had to catch the other team of ‘chors’, and this would go on for many hours. PS, it was always cooler to be the Chor.
10. DOG & BONE
For representation purpose only
Oh, to butt heads against each other in this enthusiastic game between the two dogs (players) chasing the bone!
It’s always tempting to stay home during Sundays. But we advise you to get out of the house, run, skip, jump and relive the games that made childhood so very memorable! Share this writeup with friends, tag us at #SaffronStaysSunday when you do, and tell us which games you’ll play first to relive your fond childhood memories with your chaddi buddies!
Do you ever sit with old photo albums, flipping through pictures of your family vacations, taking a wonderful trip down memory lane? Most of us had the best family getaways in our summer vacations, courtesy of month-long breaks between school years – something that seems dreamlike now. As travel, across the globe, is slowing to a standstill, the best way to enjoy summers can only be through our memories. Summer vacations undoubtedly dig deep into the nostalgia of visiting Naani Ka Ghar, gorging on mangoes, playing all day in open spaces, trips to the beach, and so much more! Today, some of us may despise the season for the scorching heat and sweaty palms it leaves us with, but summer memories of unfettered fun from our childhood strike a chord that leaves us with wide smiles…
Kacchi Kairi in Mango Season:
Summers are synonymous with the arrival of Mangoes, the king of fruits that we wait to relish all year long. While we enjoy the sweet pulpiness that dribbles on our clothes, how can we miss the tart taste of raw mangoes? Munching on pieces of kacchi kairi with red chilli and salt, winking as the sharply sourness tinged our taste buds and then laughing over it… oh the fun!
And to be living amidst a plantation of mango trees, right during the mango season would be reminiscent of your summer memories! SaffronStays Mango Huts by the River in Khopoli is where you can partake in this feeling. These 2 and 3-bedroom earthy cottages are surrounded by mango orchards and with limited network, you can spend quality time with family on a digital detox. It’s pet-friendly too, so get your pooch around to run around in the plenty of open space around.
Summer vacations also meant going to native places, or long stays at Naani Ke Ghar, a child’s favourite place to be. We all at some point have related to that meme of a child returning fat and plumpy after staying at grandma’s home for a few days. The love with which our grandparents fed and pampered us, making us feel young, no matter how old we grew is a privilege we’ll be indebted to. Being late risers, playing in the courtyard, eating Naani Ke Haath ka khana stuffed with love, falling asleep to bedtime stories…, spending summer vacations in ancestral homes emulate the golden days of our lives.
If you no longer get to visit ancestral homes and miss that charm, you could plan a vacation at SaffronStays Asanji Wadi, a heritage home in Alibaug. Every corner of this 3-bedroom private villa has a story to tell. Take a trip here with your grandparents and experience the art of slow living, looking back at the good old days of your summertime.
3. Ice Ice Baby!
The sweet memories of summers (Photo Credits: Pixabay)
Remember howpicking between ice cream, kulfi, gola or popsicles was such a tough choice to make? To overcome the ‘it’s so hot’ emotion, we would rush to the refrigerator to get our hands on cold water bottles. To slurp on a gola, choosing flavours of a popsicle or seeking permission to eat just a bowl of ice cream were our ways of being cool. With the temperatures still soaring, do you do the drill of, ‘I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream?’ That’s one of the sweetest summer memories, quite literally.
Oh to be able to just jump into a pool right now, as you read this! Unfortunately, we have to hold on to that desire just a little longer. But spending time by the poolside, be it just dipping feet feels refreshing, like a cold shower at the end of a hot tiring day. Pool time in the summers spark happy emotions with fun, relaxation, or even exercise for some. A feel-good activity that not just cools you down physically but also mentally. Once things start looking brighter, you can head to private pool villas in picturesque locales to enjoy an extended summer vacation with your fam.
5. Building Sandcastles IRL:
Making sandcastles on the beach
Summers feel incomplete without a trip to the beach. Look through your old sepia-toned photos, you might find some tinted summer memories of your beach vacations. Playing in the sand, building sandcastles and chasing away the waves from crumbling down your efforts, is a glorious reminder of summers in our childhood. Posing with sunglasses, clenching the sand with toes, navigating the ebbs-and-flows of the waves, these convivial memories by an oceanside only bring back smiles. You said it – a trip to the beachside is due this summer.
Maybe crafting a plan to visit safe private villas facing the oceanside in Alibaug, once things start opening up? SaffronStays By The Beach right on Mandwa beach is a luxurious villa with a large pool that overlooks the azure blue ocean. This 5-bedroom home is ideal for your extended family if you plan a sundowner reunion to relive the summer spirits.
6. Indoor Games All Day Long:
Family bonds over indoor games
Staying safe indoors may have gotten us to install Ludo or Carrom on our smartphones today, but decades ago, summer vacations were whiled away playing these very games all day. Although tan lines were not a concern, indoor games with siblings and friends were a priority. Who won, who lost would result in rematches. Or did you have the video game consoles, with a cassette of games like Jewel Tetris, Duck Hunt, Mario, Tank, Contra… the list could go on, just as we delve into the pleasant memories of summers. Now, once again as we stay indoors, it’s time to sit together, take out the UNO or playing cards and share the precious moments with family. One game followed by another, and where every little win also feels precious. Time to relive those golden days all over right now.
We are likely to spend the Summer of 2021 indoors for each one’s safety. But this sweet nostalgic trip down the memory lane of how we cherished our summer days will instill us with a hope to look forward to better and brighter days of sunshine soon.
I remember when I first traveled with my family, I was very curious about why the roads were so curvy; why the railway tracks went criss cross; why it rained at one place while some miles ahead we could only find breeze to accompany us and so much more. Today, I wish to see the same excitement in my children. I don’t want to take them on a lavish vacation where all they can do is admire the beauty from far and brag about it when they meet their friends. I prefer taking my kids for a trips wherein we live in a homestay, spend some time with local people, and children can mingle around with the localites learn how to adapt new life, get their hands dirty with mud, eating a cuisine which they would not otherwise get in the city.
“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are” – Samuel Johnson
Although the internet has changed the world into a global village, one still needs to travel. Children are like butterflies, they remain in the cocoon for a purpose and they adapt the change only when exposed to it. And as a parent when I think of what is that one thing I want to give my kids, the answer unanimously is Education & Travel. Education is taken care of by the schools, while travel for us, it teaches children the cultural diversities and to appreciate and relish that experience forever.
Considering the weather, I thought it is time for parents to take their kids to places where they can engage themselves in activities that will not just entertain them but also teach them how to embrace the change. Often families going on a trip miss out on whether their children will enjoy as much as they will. Is the place kids friendly? We hardly find places that could teach the basics of a simple life to our children. I found few such places and am sure kids will absolutely cherish the experience!
While we decide to lay back and relax in the amazing weather, your kids could get a chance to lay their hands on gardening, fishing, bird watching and everything that excites them about nature. This Agro-farm located at Kamshet offers a comprehensive range of terrestrial and aquatic adventure activities, and a series of horticultural and farm-based educational experiences within the premise. With a variety of outdoor experiences it will help children discover oneself & hone one’s capabilities.
Nestled in the majestic Sahyadri valley, surrounded by lush green mountainous forests, blessed with abundant rainfall, this place at Pali can make your stay comfortable. While we laze around the place, taking a stroll on the half km walkway, the kids can engage in learning how to fly a kite. One thing every parent must consider doing here is to ditch your car for once and hire a bullock cart to visit the nearby scenic locations like Padsare waterfall, Jatayu temple and Pali Ashthavinayak Ganpati temple.
Far from the maddening crowds, just 100 km from Mumbai, cocooned among the western ghats, in the Raigad district, this place is a recreation of all the simple elements of village life within 7 acres of land – fields, orchards, temple, pond, waterfall, farm animals, and last but not the least – Indian country homes, made by unskilled hands, with natural materials and rustic decor, which are comfortable, clean and furnished with necessary amenities. If your kids love to pamper animals and play with them, this is an ideal place for petting. They can enjoy the simple joys of waking up with the cackle of geese and spend their day walking in the fields, swinging, kite flying, rowing, fishing, planting, feeding the fowl and cattle, riding a bullock cart, star gazing or just watching time go by with nature. Having ponies and horses is an added attraction for kids.
In a place surrounded with rustic village atmosphere along with 1200+ trees, you can get an easy access to peep into nature’s beauty at Kolad. With the help of the caretaker one can arrange for river crossing and river rafting at Kudalika river. One can also arrange for kayaking, day and night trekking and river body surfing. Not just the kids, but parents too can enjoy these activities.
Besides streams and scenic beauty this place at Karjat is situated amid 120 acres of thick wooden mango orchads. Visit here in monsoon for the lush greens, fresh forest smells, and gurgling river that is safe even in monsoon to play in. Remember the last time you climbed a tree? Probably not! It’s time for you to let your children jump and hop around the trees like monkey and relive your childhood days. The farm attracts a splendid variety of birds. One can take walks around the property and swim in the river or even have a family barbeque or just sit back and read and listen to nature.
Are you a Konkani? Or have you heard alot about Konkani tales? Then this place at Khopoli is ideal for you to travel with your kids for them to taste the many flavors of this region. We would love to live at a traditional Konkani Cottage with veranda overlooking mountain ranges. The place is doing its best to preserve and protect our ecology, our native culture and food habits. And they are prepared to share the natural beauty and comforts of their place with the guests. Kids would enjoy farming and they can learn the very art of rice cultivation, soil building, poultry farm and brick furnace. Also, camping and barbeque can be arranged on request.
Living within the wooden interiors and a place that follows agro-toursim, I am sure this place at Mulshi has great deals for our kids to learn. This place is been taken care of by the local villagers and they gladly welcome you to witness their warm service and mouth watering food over your weekend trip. The villagers believe that everything is of value and use and the homestay itself is been built with a lot of recycled material. What could be a better way to teach our kids ‘best out of waste’! The localites are known to indulge kids into fun activities like crab hunting and rice plantation. Now every time they will crave for sea food, they know where it comes from! The best thing about choosing this place as a farmstay is to realize that the money raised by the guest visits is being used for the education of village children which is an amazing effort!
If you think your children would love to indulge in similar fun activities, then visiting these places is a must! On your way back home if you sense the same curiosity in your kids which you had years ago on your first travel trip with your parents, then your weekend trip to the above places is worth it!
About the Author:
Keenjal Patel
A reader at mind, a writer at heart, a believer at soul and an achiever overall, is what she want to be. She loves to express through words. She’s a firm believer that imagination rules the world and the day this world absorbs the essence of her words, that would be a day of pride for her!
