Fire on the mountain
When I was a kid, a very young kid, maybe 6 years old, I was taught all about life there is to learn (Thats a typical exaggeration of mine :D ) during "games period". Specifically, with a very interesting and profound (The E word again) game called "Fire on the mountain". Pity I did not realize how important this "game" was.
For those of you who don't know, a "PT Teacher" in Indian schools, is somebody who is the equivalent of a gym instructor in the western world's schools. They teach kids how to endure drudgery and discipline in the hot sun. Sometimes, they let kids play some games too, the good ones at least, do. One of such games we played was "Fire in the mountain". Here is how it would be played.
"PT Teacher" would make all of us kids stand in a circle facing in the same direction. (much pushing and shoving coupled with jockeying to get near your people) "PT teacher" would then chant
"Fire on the mountain run! run!! run!!!"
And keep chanting this while we ran around in the circle. (Running around in circles, with a watchful eye on the other kids around, maintaining "strategic position")
And then suddenly, after an indeterminate amount of time, "PT Teacher" would stop the chanting and shriek out some random number between 2 and 7 depending on how many people were working, oops! I mean, depending on how many kids were playing, and that many kids had to get into groups of the number called out by hugging each other. Now, whoever was left out, without a group, was declared "out" and had to sit out and watch his other "friends" continue playing the game :-)
Now, I don't know how many of you have played this game as kids, but I bet that many feel they are playing a similar game right now :D Work, and maybe more generically, life seems more and more like "Fire on the mountain". What say, gentle reader?
For those of you who don't know, a "PT Teacher" in Indian schools, is somebody who is the equivalent of a gym instructor in the western world's schools. They teach kids how to endure drudgery and discipline in the hot sun. Sometimes, they let kids play some games too, the good ones at least, do. One of such games we played was "Fire in the mountain". Here is how it would be played.
"PT Teacher" would make all of us kids stand in a circle facing in the same direction. (much pushing and shoving coupled with jockeying to get near your people) "PT teacher" would then chant
"Fire on the mountain run! run!! run!!!"
And keep chanting this while we ran around in the circle. (Running around in circles, with a watchful eye on the other kids around, maintaining "strategic position")
And then suddenly, after an indeterminate amount of time, "PT Teacher" would stop the chanting and shriek out some random number between 2 and 7 depending on how many people were working, oops! I mean, depending on how many kids were playing, and that many kids had to get into groups of the number called out by hugging each other. Now, whoever was left out, without a group, was declared "out" and had to sit out and watch his other "friends" continue playing the game :-)
Now, I don't know how many of you have played this game as kids, but I bet that many feel they are playing a similar game right now :D Work, and maybe more generically, life seems more and more like "Fire on the mountain". What say, gentle reader?
posted by tantrik-porter at 4:11 AM
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