“He twist his fingers and bends his thumb!
He stretches them far till they feel numb!
Then like a trigger it goes and gets a hit!
It’s not war, just a game of marble you twit!”
If you were a student of the Kendriya Vidyalaya especially in the north then you would have definitely played this game which is one of the oldest games in the world!
Now you can use many materials to play this game but the most preferred and famous is the one which you play using these small balls made of glass!
Boys used to love playing with these especially because of the double entendre!
Yes! Marbles!
When we were young(er!) we had a big supply! There were guys who had marbles in big bottles! They were the champions who had won countless games of marbles!
I was fascinated by the little glass miracles! It is a fact that no two marbles may be exactly the same! The best of course were the slightly bigger ones and one of the most prized possessions were the ones which have got cracks inside but the crack is not reached the surface which is still round and smooth!
These cracked marbles used to have such beautiful designs especially when you place it towards the sunlight! Blue marbles were the common ones so other colours were so much in demand for being rare!
The common ones were actually dirt cheap but the real prize of a marble player were the marbles he or she had won by his game!
There were those who used to use their fingers as mini catapults to propel marbles and shoot! It was like watching a live T20 match since in the limited time of lunch break we had to finish our lunch, arrange the game, win a few and rush before the bell rings again! It was literally a rush and race against time!
It has been said as one of the world’s oldest games!
The game is played with colored balls that are about 5/8 inch (1.6 centimeters) in diameter. Marbles may be made of clay, glass, plastic, or agate. Particular marbles may be known for their use (shooters); their original material (alleys were once made of alabaster); or their appearance (cloudies and cat’s eyes)!
The object of marble games is to roll, throw, or drop against an opponent’s marbles—often to knock them out of a prescribed area. If the game is played for fair, the winner is the one who shoots the most marbles out of the circle. In a game for keeps, each player is allowed to keep all the marbles won!
Of course we had different versions of making use of the marble and since I was really poor in the actual game, we used to play the game on board with the marble!
Apparently there are different version all over the world!
In taw, ringtaw, or ringer, players attempt to shoot marbles (sometimes arranged in a cross) out of a ring as much as 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 meters) in diameter. In this game the shooter, which is held between the index finger and the outside of the thumb, is propelled forward by snapping the thumb. If knuckling is called for, at least one knuckle of the shooting hand must touch the ground!
In a game known as hit and span, players try to shoot or roll marbles either against an opponent’s marbles or a hand’s span from them. In various pot games (a pot is a small hole in the ground), including moshie, players try to pitch their own marbles or knock opponents’ marbles into a hole! This is so similar to the ones we used to play! Our own version of the Golf!
In bridgeboard, or nine holes, a board with several numbered arches is set up, and players try to shoot their marbles through the arches. Apparently Local, regional, and national tournaments are held in many countries on this!
Our marble playing though was limited to the lunch break in the KV! Another break activity was discussing movies! There was one movie which was very popular among girls which had Vijayshanthi! The movie was based on the birthday celebrity, a former tennis player who became the first woman in India to join the officer ranks of the Indian Police Service. The movie was in telugu called Karthavyam and was based on the life and times of Kiran Bedi who has been an inspiration to many women to join the IPS!
A quick kindle scribe sketch without any shading or erasing!
Now stop playing with marbles in your daydreams and sleep!
Shubh ratri!
ramadocblog 