Hopefully, the coming days will see more perspectives, nostalgia and curtain raisers on the Olympics appearing in various sections of the media possibly invoking interest in sports among the youth. If you are not aware that the Olympic Games are just round the corner, one is not clear as to exactly who to blame. For, in the glorious past – which refers to a bygone era before the advent of smartphones and social media – newspapers, magazines and television channels would be awash with stories, features and nostalgic recollections about the Games by now that most people would be waiting to watch the opening ceremony on River Seine.
Of course, the opening ceremony of the Olympics became a visual staple for most of us only after the black and white television came into our drawing rooms. So people cuddled together to watch the breathtaking spectacle unfolding in some place like Los Angeles or Moscow or Seoul or Barcelona in front of television sets in either their own homes or a neighbour’s or a friend’s or a relative’s and marveled at it. Yes, not every home had a television set in those days when the Olympics kept the people in thrall.
It was in those days that the youth, school children and college students, also played some games. It was then that the maxim ‘All work and no play make Jack a dull boy’ was taken rather seriously by at least schools that earmarked periods for physical education. So children played some game or the other and even developed an abilit.