Another fascinating person I met at Aranda de Duero was Marco. Marco was from Mexico and had decided to specialize in the spinning top. He was on a tour of the world, performing magical feats with it and teaching everyone who wanted to learn.
For many years in India, the spinning top has been a standard-sized Lattu or Bambaram, with the rope wound around it. There are also smaller tops that we spin with our fingers.
When we use the spinning top with the rope, we typically flick it to the ground or straight onto our hands. It’s a great thrill to flick it to the ground, pick it up, and ease it onto the palm of our hands while it is still spinning. There is a great sense of accomplishment.
But after seeing Marco with his absolutely incredible tricks—with tops of every size and shape—I was astounded. At one point, Marco made a loop of the string, picked up the top by the loop, and proceeded to swing it around, all the while with the top still spinning. Yet another time, he doubled the string, held it at two ends, picked up the top in the middle, and held it up in the air, with the top still spinning in the middle of the string.
Marco’s tricks were unbelievable. He taught me that there’s so much more to the spinning top than just what we know.
During the few days he was at the conference, there were two little boys from the town of Aranda who followed him around with their tops. By the end of the conference, the two boys were more accomplished with the top than I will ever be. Marco’s capacity to teach was remarkable. He brought joy to people by teaching them how to play and enjoy the spinning top.
In the course of the conference, he tried a number of exciting experiments with the top, including having one traverse an almost four-foot wire from his hand to the top of a barrel—all the while still spinning.
Truly, Marco gave a new meaning to the idea of spinning a top.
Ripples Of Life and Time 