Shillong Jottings

Holi, the festival of colours that signals the advent of spring, was joyfully celebrated across the city on Friday last. Men, women and children joined in the celebrations after a break in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For a change, protocols took a backseat, as revelry and merry-making took centre stage. The festival was particularly significant for children, who poured out on to the streets to apply colour on every familiar face they came across, and on a few occasions, some unfamiliar faces too.

It was a welcome break for the kids, who came out of their cocoon and celebrated without any worry or concern. Some residents were seen taking time out and heading towards Sohra, away from the usual hubbub of the city.

Overall the celebrations was mildly subdued and not up to the level achieved in the pre-pandemic days. The celebrations began early and finished by the afternoon. However, the usual accompaniments that are an integral part of the Holi celebration like loud music and sumptuous food was not seen in many places. Perhaps, this is want the new normal look like!

Spinning tops — it’s not a sport of any sort, but of course there’s passion involved. This is one of the oldest toys to be played by children and called differently by different people — from Lattu in Hindi, Latom in Khasi to Bhurung in Nepali etc. But from here on, we’ll stick to lattu. These ancient toys are mostly made out of wood and to launch one, you’ll need a rope too.

With that being said, let’s dive into what wonders it works in Shillong.

Select parts of the city are once again filled with boys all-out hurling their lattus on the ground (as can be seen in the picture).

While newbies go about just learning how to make the top spin, kids in the intermediate and above levels compete in a peculiar arrangement of the game that involves targeting and striking each other’s lattus.

To practise, some simply attempt to hit a simple target such as a plank to increase their precision of launching the lattu. Kids find quite the satisfaction with being able to hit the target with precision.

And even adults seemed to testify to this as they recall their stint with these infamous toys.

“I used to be quite the player (with lattus). It used to be one of the most fun games back in the days. I used a four-inch nail for my top, and it worked really well for me. I once split another boy’s lattu in half with a single strike! Good old days,” a resident of Mawprem, who was watching a group of boys play the game on the street, said.

As the clock ticks by, the trend appears to diminish but from what several visuals tell us in Shillong, there will always remain takers for this game, hopefully.