There was a time, not too long ago, when the word ‘picnic’ stirred up a chorus of excitement in every household. A mat, a few home-cooked meals, some lemonade in glass jars, cricket bats, and a loud bunch of cousins running wild in the grassit was all it took to create memories that lasted a lifetime.Today, as screens get brighter and hearts get quieter, the tradition of the family picnic seems to be slipping away like the last ray of sun behind the hill. But why does this simple act of spending time outdoors with loved ones matter so much?
A Retreat into Togetherness
In the rush of life, school, work, bills, traffic, we often forget to pause. A family picnic is not just a meal outdoors; it is a pause button on our fast-paced lives. It offers us the rare chance to breathe, laugh, and connect with those who matter most.Conversations at picnics aren’t planned or hurried. They flow naturally, as kids giggle over snacks, elders share old tales, and laughter becomes the music of the moment. These are the memories children carry with them into adulthood, simple, sweet, and irreplaceable.
A Lesson in Nature and Nurture
Picnics gently reconnect us with Mother Nature. In a world dominated by concrete and screens, when did our children last feel grass under their feet or watch the clouds make shapes above?When families picnic together, they not only nourish bonds but also plant in young minds the seeds of environmental love and appreciation. It’s a subtle yet powerful form of learning, about nature, patience, and simplicity.
Food, Fun, and Forever Moments
The food at picnics is rarely fancy, but it’s filled with something even richer, care. A mother’s paratha, a grandmother’s pickles, homemade cakes, all carried with care in steel containers and packed in baskets. These meals aren’t just eaten; they are shared, bite by bite, smile by smile.Games follow the kind that require no controllers, only open spaces and open hearts. Tug of war, frisbee, antakshari, or just a slow walk with your father, every activity becomes a story.
The Fade and the Future
Unfortunately, such scenes are becoming rare. Modern families, often scattered across cities or bound by busy routines, find it hard to plan such outings. Even when together, we are often more present on our phones than in the moment.But the truth is, we need picnics now more than ever.Reviving the tradition of family picnics doesn’t take much. A Sunday, a little planning, and the will to disconnect from the virtual and reconnect with the real. Let’s not allow our children to grow up reading about picnics in stories. Let them live them.
A Call to Return
So, this weekend, pack a little basket, not with lavish food, but with laughter, warmth, and love. Go to a park, a riverbank, or even your backyard. Take your family along. Sit together. Talk. Eat. Play. Watch the sky change colors. Let your children hear the sound of your laughter mingling with the wind. Because in the end, it’s not about the place or the food, it’s about the time.Let’s bring back the family picnic, not just as an event, but as a way of saying:“We are together. And that is enough.”
(Author is a columnist and can be reached at: [email protected])
