I had to wait till I was over ten before I learnt the skill of spinning a pambaram or top. This game requires a deft hand. Also, enough pocket money to buy the beautiful tops of burnt earth or lacquered wood, with a pin at the bottom. A string is wrapped round the lower part of the pambaram. This is tossed with a hard jerk before being released onto the hard earth by the string, to spin and spin and spin. The boy whose pambaram spins longest is the winner.

I remember saving up my pocket money for days to buy my first pambaram. But disaster ! I swung it clumsily and the beautiful earthen top broke

Afterwards, I practiced with a small wooden one and so learnt to toss the beautiful earthen top. But I never acquired the knack of properly tossing the biggest earthen pambarams, or the heaviest wooden ones. I admired those who were champions at the game and gambled heavily in the pambaram tournaments.