When I was in my teens, we didn’t have Satellite TV, the internet or phones to kill time. Video games were in the nascent stages and were not that common among friends. Most of the time, we would play with friends.
The games we played as kids were football, cricket, hide and seek and sometimes with action figures. Action figures were more memorable. I was a GI Joe kid and maintained a vast collection. My other friend was more into He-Man.
My friends and I would often play some games on the ground or on the terrace of our buildings. We would look at the surroundings that stretched far and wide. Hills studded the back while the horizon lay bare to the front.
Electricity wasn’t that reliable. Often, we experienced power cuts that last from a few minutes to a few hours. On rare occasions, it would go in the morning and return in the evening.
In the darkness, the best game to play was hide and seek. Finding your hiding friends was the challenge. But that added to the fun. We would find many places to hide, behind buildings was the best place. Autorickshaws or scooters with side-cars would often remain covered. It was like first-come, first-served.
Then, there were other occasions when we talked, mixed with older children outside the group. Hanging out in the small open spaces that society provided was enough.
My friends and I would hang out on the terrace of one of our buildings. One of my friends who lived on the third storey would bring us a mat to lie on. And, there in the darkness, I would stare at the unpolluted night sky. The stars were observable in all their glory.
I would fix my eye on one particular constellation of stars. I noticed something: the stars changed position, moving slowly, almost imperceptibly. What I learned over time was that you must have great patience to see it. The movement is slow, very slow and for a few of my friends who joined me, it tested their patience. If you pursued astronomy as a hobby, it would interest you.
Back then, there weren’t many to talk about openly. I turn to YouTube and read news reports to stay updated. I discuss it with one of my friends when time permits.
This was a kind of luxury and could not always be done. As we grew, interests faded, and all of my friends took to their career choices.
Looking back at it, I wonder what it was like. Sure, I still live at the same place, I can go to the terrace anytime and observe the night sky as before. The reasons I won’t do it are because of excessive light that pollutes the night sky. I am working now, and time does not permit me to go to the terrace.
Star gazing – as I came to realise, was a niche hobby and I enjoyed it as a child. I still pursue astronomy as a hobby to satisfy my curiosity. That part of my hobby is now lost to time. Lost not because I don’t go there anymore, but because of responsibilities.
Now, people utilise augmented reality to observe the night sky. It is an amazing way to learn and also teach if you have kids. However, that is just a tool.
I can still go to that terrace. It’s still there, just a few steps away.
But time, light, and responsibility have changed the experience.
Back then, I had the patience to watch the stars move.
Today, I wonder when I lost that.