HYDERABAD: As teachers and parents rack their brains over where to get their children engaged this summer, we present age-old techniques to keep kids busy. Ever heard of Pachisi, Ashta Chamma, and Puli Joodam? These are traditional Indian games that once ruled every Indian household and filled the courtyards with fun and laughter on lazy summer afternoons.
While it is not wrong to say that these games have been hit by ever-evolving technology that makes digital and virtual games more realistic and user-friendly, it is also true that during the pandemic, the charm of these games returned as people constantly sought ways to kill time.
With markets and workspaces reopening, one would think that the demand for these games would reduce, but on the contrary, the demand has never been better, says Archana, owner of Good Old Games, a store that sells traditional games. Once a physical store, they have now moved online, “because the time and effort each game takes to be made and built from scratch does not allow for bulk production that can be sold in huge numbers,” she said.
According to her, these games allow children to develop counting and strategy skills. “Games like Daadi and Vamana Guntalu function on basic numeracy but involve strategy and thinking,” she added, which is a good way to engage children. “The best thing about these games is that they can be played by both children and adults alike. They are age and gender-neutral,” she added.
Archana and her partner Sangeeta have seen parents showing interest in buying these games, which are made by artisans from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to be given away as return gifts but now they want to invest in these games, giving their children a different experience, something that they themselves grew up playing.
After all, these games have been part of India’s heritage, says Sajjan Singh, a heritage conservationist. Sharing the history of snakes and ladders, a much-loved game in India, he said, “Moksha Patam was the 13th-century inspiration of snakes and ladders. The medieval poet saint, Gyandev created a children’s game called Moksha Patam. The British later named it Snakes and Ladders. In the original one-hundred-square game board, the 12th square was faith, the 51st square was reliability, the 57th square was generosity, the 76th square was knowledge, and the 78th square was asceticism. These were the squares where the ladders were found and one could move ahead faster.”
Similarly, there were squares for misdeeds, “The 41st square was for disobedience, the 44th square for arrogance, the 49th square for vulgarity, the 52nd square for theft, the 58th square for lying, the 62nd square for drunkenness, the 69th square for debt, the 84th square for anger, the 92nd square for greed, the 95th square for pride, the 73rd square for murder and the 99th square for lust. These were the squares where the snake waited with its mouth open. The 100th square represented Nirvana or Moksha,” he said.
The tops of each ladder depict a God, or one of the various heavens (Kailasa, Vaikuntha, Brahma Loka) and so on. As the game progressed various actions were supposed to take you up and down the board as in life.Although the essence of each of these games is the same, they are known by different names across the country and are played with very slight variations.