Such were our toys and dear to us!

 

Such were the toys,

Of my childhood days,

Handmade toys,

Homemade toys,

Sri Sathyanarayana Swamy Peeta,

Tulasi Kota,

Sofa Set,

Bathukamma,

Rabbits, dogs and parrots,

 All lovely creations,

Inventive and artful,

Made by our elders,

For us,

With lots of love,

And with great effort.

They were so precious to us,

Playing with them alone,

Or with siblings,

Or friends,

For hours together,

Weaving stories,

Around such immobile toys,

Was great entertainment,

And a much-loved pastime.

There were wind-up toys,

They were also fun,

But battery-operated toys,

Was a rarity,

So we never longed for them.

But such handmade toys,

Made up much of our childhood,

And life was quite thrilling.

With modern toys,

That can dance,

Fly and race,

With glittering lights,

And interesting sounds,

Music and songs,

And countless of them,

Available easily,

Everywhere,

Who would play with our toys,

Nowadays,

Who would even glance at them,

For more than an instant,

Toys that were so dear to us,

And handmade with lots of love for us.

-N. Lalitha Raghu.