Somebody posted this photo of the new cards, without the picture cards. I remembered that as a child I used to imagine that those king, queen, and jack were real. I loved them in an obvious girly sequence of Hearts, Diamond, Spade and Club. I would wonder, how must they get out of their margins to talk with each other. Was there a world for them, after we were done playing?
On those summer afternoon,s were they waiting for us, to finish our lunches and take them out? Oh how they must've been waiting to catch the cold breeze, coming from the khus ki tatti (Curtains made of vetiver roots) and feel relieved, in that hot Nagpur summer. Inside the box of pack of cards, did they ever feel stuffy? I would also wonder, how they walked, as they had heads on both ends; and I would think they were so lucky that they can eat their favourite food twice because of two mouths.
Beyond the square margin, was there a different kingdom unreachable for us humans, but lived only by the cards? Did the jack (known as ghulam or slave), really serve his masters and the queen? Did the king go hunting and the queen enjoy her luxurious baths or spend time singing and dancing around a castle, we never saw? Did the ghulam go to the market to buy everything the king and the queens wanted? Was the queen of hearts, friends with any other queens or was she proud to be most favourite amongst the card players? What role did the Ace play in their lives?
Oh those endless questions and the endless possibilities of answers. I don't know who invented them; and so I googled my question, and discovered that they were invented in the ancient China in the 9th century. Yes indeed it has to be Chinese, which is still written in picture alphabets; and probably the imagination that is nurtured through such alphabets and words, makes chinese people so intelligent.
Therefore not only should we retain those three main character pictures, we have known all our life, but if possible add more pictures for other number cards as well. It does stimulate the right hemisphere of creativity and imagination, while using logic from the left one. Therefore playing cards must be mandatory for elementary school children and entire human race confused by the dilemma created by digital world.
I am ready for my next game, are you?
