Origami of Olden days

Origami of olden days

 












The other day it was raining. Water was flowing in front of my house – almost like a rivulet. My daughter and I wanted to leave paper boats / ships into that water flow. We made half a dozen of them quickly. Wrote in each of them: Give a Missed Call to: 8000980009. RallyForRivers Campaign was at its peak at that time. At least one boy down the street got the message. It was great fun.

This led me to think about other things I can do with paper. In my childhood I had learnt many simple things to make out of paper. Few items were learnt in formal classroom but mostly from my friends. I can recollect I could make: Ship, Ship with blade, twin boat, single boat, Ink bottle, bird, peacock, cubicle box, purse, drumstick, paper cracker, whistle, garland, fan and a few other items.

Origami is simple to learn and inexpensive to try out. All you need by way of material is just some pieces of paper. Learning involves very mild physical skills, keen observation, and reliance on repetitive procedures and a bit of patience. The outcome is creative piece of object that you would love to keep and display with pride. The result is a piece of art.  Apart from training your memory, the thrill of becoming an artist or a crafts person is immense. Is Origami taught in our schools as a matter of routine? I don’t know.

But now I am 75. Most of things I learnt as a child, I have forgotten how to do. Alzheimer’s creeping in? I doubt. There are online manuals teaching you how to do and videos to demonstrate. There are simple books for starters too. But following those instructions to fruition seems formidable for me. If you have been lucky to have grandchildren around you perhaps these skills may have been retained, as you try to teach them or keep them engaged. I don’t have that luck as both my daughters are single!  Any help?