Coffee Day

Our hotel in Chandigarh is right next to a Coffee Day. Since Coffee Day is on my todo list, I made sure to stop in last night for some Masala Tea. There I saw five young teenagers playing Pictionary. I was curious right away to see how the game translated into Indian, so I went over to look and listen. They did not blink for a moment as I showed an interest in their game, they simply and quickly invited me to play. I sat down with them and watched them finish their game (I became their impartial judge for tough calls). They were playing in English with an English language set, so it was easy enough to follow.

About the only aspect that was exactly the same as when I have played Pictionary in the U.S. was that the team that was a couple was quicker, 'because of their connection'. All of the kids were extremely quick witted, teasing each other constantly, and of course as soon as I sat down I too was fair game for jokes. They had developed some code symbols that meant 'one word', 'two words', or other often used symbols, and they had also developed a pattern of guessing a theme and throwing out all kinds of words related to the theme, in order to maximize feedback opportunities from the sketcher. They were very fast, both in sketching and in proposing words. There was no moment wasted on thought or reflection on what would be the best sketch. They would also strategize which way to approach describing a word, based on what they knew of the guesser's habits and strengths. Of 10 or so rounds I observed, I was only able to guess one of them before they did.

We then played one round of Boggle. I joined in, and really thought I would do well, because I read and write a lot. When I suggested that I might also have a native language advantage, they quickly shot that down and started the game. After the two minutes of trying to find words in the eight assigned letters, we compared answers and scores. I had perhaps found the fewest words of all of them. The one guy with the quickest wit also had the longest list of words, though I think he got the list just by mixing letters and writing them down without even thinking about it.

Watching and listening to these quickwitted, friendly, and unflappable teenagers, immediately after having experienced the hospitality and sophistication of the professionals at the press club, makes me understand why so many think that India is going to dominate 21st century culture and economy, China notwithstandin.