Pictionary

I’m very lucky to have been involved in Sikh Gurmat camps for most of my life – as a camper, counselor, and administrator. Along the way, I’ve collected many stories. My friends have always told me I should document them. So here’s another addition to the series I call “Camp Stories.” Please comment with your own story too…

Remember that game, Pictionary? The one where you’re secretly shown a word and then need to draw an image of that word while your team guesses what it is before time runs out? Well, whether you loved it or hated it…it has played an active role in Gurmat camps for well over a decade…of course, only after “Sikh Jeopardy” got old.

Pictionary seemed to be our default activity when us instructors had no idea what else to teach, needed to fill time, or were too lazy to come up with a real lesson plan. It took no effort to prepare and the kids loved it! We would just write Sikhi-related words or events on a card, like “Kirpan”, “Vasakhi”, or “Dastaar” and we were ready to go.

But there’s one “Pictionary moment” I just can’t forget…

After all the kids had a turn and there were a few minutes left in class, one of our senior counselors volunteered to draw – the kids were excited! We thought we should make it a little more challenging and gave him the word “Chaalee Muktae.” The look on the counselor’s face was priceless! The timer started and the counselor hastily started drawing. First he tried drawing Guru Gobind Singh, but to no avail – the kids weren’t even close. Then he tried drawing a battle scene…but still, nothing! Then he tried drawing a picture of a letter getting ripped up…still, no luck. Finally, with time running out – he decided to break up the words “Cha” and “Lee.” He began to draw a picture of a cup with steam coming out, symobilizing Cha (tea), but still, the kids hadn’t a clue, they yelled out all kinds of things. Frustrated, he kept pointing at the cup over and over, banging on the board with his marker, nearly knocking the whiteboard over…the kids were yelling out “Uhh…cup…Uhh…steam…Uhh…hot!” Finally, the time ran out and buzzer went off and the counselor screamed, “What do your parents drink!”

And a little boy in the back yelled out, “Whiskey!”