As I stepped out of my home one fine Sunday morning, what attracted my immediate attention was frame of the zig-zag lines drawn in white chalk joined together nicely crafting out a "Stapu" as we used to call it..

Could not eschew myself from completing one round jumping on one leg, lot like imitating "Sridevi-Jeetendra- moves".

It took me down the memory lane as far as almost 15 yrs when I were in all girls school (yes- I've done my initial schooling from Alexandra Convent School).

As the bell rang announcing the lunch break, all girls ran to occupy the most clearly crafted out "Stapu's" in the sandy grounds of the school.

The one who reached first would win the first turn to throw the stone in the box and then complete one round in the succeeding boxes jumping on one leg.

Rules were quite simple:

-the stone had to fall clearly in between the limits of each box;

-player had to jump in the other boxes on one leg;

-the box in which the stone lied had to be skipped;

-the stone had to be picked from the succeeding box;

-after completion of all boxes successfully, one had to throw the stone in the frame from backside, not facing the stapu and the box in which stone landed became the property of the player.

-other players had to skip the boxes occupied by someone through back throw;

-the one with maximum number of boxes would be declared winner.

As I left the memory lane behind and stepped back into present, first thing I could think of was finding out the person who made this frame outside my house, not for (by default) scolding the kid who had spoiled the entrance of my well kept home but rather to ask her (should have been a 'she') if the rules were still the same over the years or have they been changed or modified..

I asked the colony watchman who had done it. He grinned at me showing those tobacco colored yellow teeth and told me that he had already scolded and gave a good thrashing to his 4 year daughter for spoiling the entrance n his wife would clean it as soon as she returned from her work.

I felt bad and asked to him to call his daughter. I wanted to see her but he pleaded me to let it go. I insisted that I did want to see her. Sheepishly smiling at me, he went inside his quarter at the far end of the colony n I saw him dragging his daughter by her ear mumbling abuses. I scolded him to leave her ear and asked her to dry her tearful face.
That miniature figure in front of me went calm as I took out a "Dairy- Milk" from my bag n handed it over to her.

As she was busy unwrapping the chocolate, I asked her:
"beta Tulsi (imagine Ekta Kapoor's impact on the society!!!) ye "Stapu" tumne banaya hai??"

Tulsi: haanji Didi.. Sorry.. aage se nahi banaungi..- as her eyes were near in tears again.

I (out of sympathy for her n detest for her father's cruelty)- nahi bete koi baat nahi.. pehle ye to bataao ke issey khelte kaise hain??

She giggled over this and started telling me the rules showing me the promo of the game..

And there I joined her asking her father to leave as I cherished my childhood memories...