The Games People Play(ed)
[Published in My Kolkata on 23rd June 2024. Read Online .] Oh the games people play now / Every night and every day now Never meaning what they say now / Never saying what they mean Inner Circle made that song memorable for me. After an exhausting brace of election months we know we’ve been a part of these games, often as spectators or pawns. But that’s political. This piece is about the games that we played in our youth and how they have transformed over the years. Facebook University informs me that for some 72 days which began a week or two ago, we are going to be treated to sports like never before - ICC World Cup, UEFA, Copa America, the Olympics - and for armchair sports persons this is good news! Better news for TV channels and advertisers. In the good old days of 2-colour TV (Black and White) we preferred to be outside, missing the ads, lowering the TRPs and playing physical games. Or even indoors. At a friend’s house the other night his 8-year old asked me, “Do you kno