Kids return to cheap antique swings

The decades-old manual swings dominated the streets and parks in Rawalpindi in the first three days of Eidul Fitr after a manifold increase in the rates of electric swings.  

The operators of up to 70-year-old manual swings returned to the city areas to attract street children and earned a good number of bucks. The families found it difficult to pay for electric swings in the parks of twin cities after operators increased the prices of tickets 500 times for swings like chairlifts.

A large number of street children enjoyed these manual swings, which are said to have been manufactured before the partition. The modern days’ swings like dodging cars and computerised games could be a dream of the past times when manual swings were seen in every street and neighbourhood on the occasions of fairs, Eids and national festivals.

Before the establishment of Pakistan, till the mid-80s, the swing operators used to swing the children in exchange for flour, sugar, rice, and wheat. Later, the practice started to decline and with the beginning of the new century, these handmade swings almost came to an end. However, sometimes such swings are seen during the street fairs, especially in slums of major cities and rural areas of the country.

Though children of the new age are seen as happy with the electric swings, exorbitant prices of tickets have forced them to enjoy manual rides. On the three days of Eid, a large number of people belonging to the poor and middle-class segments of society appeared in the streets of Rawalpindi and took swings on manual swings by taking the two-minute ride for only Rs10.

According to children Arsalan Ahmed, Faizan, Nasir and little girl Sidra, they had a lot of fun while taking several rides at manual swings at their doorsteps as it is inconvenient and painful to visit crowded parks.

Muhammad Banaras, a swing owner, says these manual swings belong to the poor as poor children cannot take swings in big parks by paying Rs500. A family with three or four children cannot afford 1,500 to 2,000 for a swing together but can pay Rs10 to Rs20 for a manual swing

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th, 2024.