K: K...not Kiran!

Kashmir. Raipur. Russia. Ahmadabad. Denmark. 

My roomie and I  were playing connections the other day. And yes, it was fun. It had been ages since I have played any game. Or turned to any sort of entertainment that does not need me to switch on my laptop. 

I used to love playing such games. Still do. We played a lot of board games and card games at home; as a family. Rack-O, Monopoly, Uno are some of our favourites. 

Then there is the memory game. Even though I am absent minded, I am pretty good at memorising consequent words. Wonder why I can't mug up boring notes! 

We have forgotten the value of such games. I don't want to sound preachy, but these games do help in bonding. I know I am close to my parents because they made it a point to spend time with their children. They made sure we spend quality time together. Some evenings we sat together in the living room and three of us- my mom, my sister and me sang songs; while my dad sat back and enjoyed the songs. On some days we just chatted about our day. 

On Sundays, we all read newspaper supplements after breakfast. We subscribe to 4 dailies so there are a good number of supplements. My dad is big on telling jokes. My sister and I know most of them so we take turns in delivering the punchline. He calls us his shahgirds. This word is sort of untranslatable but loosely translated it means that we are his disciples. His able students. And we will carry forward his legacy of making people laugh. 

I dont' tell much jokes here. Probably it's a father- daughter thing. Like singing countless songs is a mother- daughter thing. 

My parents have given us a lot of freedom. Both of us can voice or views, debate, argue, discuss. We have talked about so many things with mom and dad. Intelligent discussions. And learnt a lot. Such openness has broadened our horizons. 

We should all take time out from our laptops and smartphones, from our TV and our social networking, from gossiping and cribbing; to spend time with our loved ones. To talk, to play, to bond.