The games my grandmother played

Written by Niginabanu Amirova

Every day when I come back to home from school, I tell my grandmother and grandfather about the knowledge I have learned and the news I have heard. They listen willingly. One of those days, my grandmother told me about the games they used to play in their childhood.
We enjoyed playing such games as “Chorichambar, “Durra”, “G’oz-g’oz”, “To’ptosh”, “Chertmak”. These games taught us agility and thinking. The games used to train us physically, – my grandmother said with some nostalgia.
Grandpa, what game did you play? – I ask out of curiosity.
“Chirkash”, “Uloq”, “Tosh arqon”, “Ovchi”, “Xirmon-xirmon”… we played a lot of games. At that time, these games helped us to be strong-willed, diligent, robust, and effective. Now nobody plays such games, – my grandfather sighed.
Do you remember the games that girls played with their fathers, boys and girls – “Oq terakmi ko’k terak”, “Tez top”, “Topgan topaloq”, “Tapir-tupir qayrag’och”… Such games taught boys and girls to understand each other and protect girls. I found most of the riddles you told me.
Although my grandmother’s memories seemed to me to be fiction, I was envious of them. Because despite the fact that I live in the village, we don’t play such games now. Someone is holding a phone in his hand, and someone is staring at a computer. Under the influence of silly games, such peers are becoming aggressive, belligerent, and merciless.
Friends, there is wisdom in every action, let’s not forget our national games with specific goals.

Niginabanu Amirova
8th grade student of the Samarkand Specialized Art Boarding School
Nurabad district, Samarkand region of Uzbekistan.