Games people play

Inspired by the popular Kanjivaram weaves of Tamil Nadu, Bengaluru-based Madhumita Mani has created Ettana: The Looms of Kanchi
Games people play

BENGALURU: To be interested in board games is one thing, but to find it so intriguing that you want to make your own game, is another. Madhumita Mani belongs to the latter category.

A homemaker and resident of Zurich, Switzerland, Mani found an interest in board games in 2015, when she travelled to the US where her friends introduced her to Catan, a multiplayer board game where players take on the role of settlers while attempting to build and develop holdings. She was taken aback to know that games such as Catan also exists.

When the pandemic locked everyone indoors, Mani took up the challenge of coming up with her own game. And Ettana: The Looms of Kanchi was born. Growing up in different parts of India exposed Mani to different cultures and textiles.

Taking inspiration from her Tamil roots, the founder of Mad4Fun Games, reflects a part of her cultural identity. “I moved to Zurich eight years ago, but the company is run from Bengaluru - my father, Ramamoorthy Mani, is the CEO.

The idea is to depict the workings of a loom through a board game. It shows how weavers come up with designs that are special which are unique only to their region,” she says. It took her a couple of months to finalise the game idea, but she’s focussed on replicating certain patterns on the board with the roll of a dice and cards. Mani says, “There are 36 different designs and the first player who manages to create a pattern that’s worth eight annas (currency), wins the game.” An anna which is equivalent to 6.25 paise was the currency used in British India.

From eco-friendly packaging, peacock blue-hued colour scheme to using traditional motifs of dancing girls on the cover and Bharatanatyam mudras, Mani has tried to keep the concept of the game as close to home as possible. “We worked with Channapatna toy makers to create this game. Even the satchels we’ve used are bought from Kanchipuram weaves. I wanted to include as much as possible to showcase that it’s made in India, and perhaps, teach a thing or two about our culture to others,” Mani says.

And she’s just right because her customer base pans out to the US and Europe. She says, “About 60 per cent of our buyers right now are from the US and they aren’t even Indians. Perhaps it’s the colour and the way the game is played that people have been interested in buying the game especially during the pandemic.” All this was possible with the help of her designer, Darshini Sundar, who has experience working in textiles. Mani points out, “All components of the game were illustrated as they were inspired by the handlooms and temple sculptures found in Kanchipuram.”

HOW TO PLAY
It’s a 2-4 player game that takes 45 minutes to complete. The crux of the game is to recreate the pattern seen on the card onto the board with economical moves. With each pattern completed, the player earns ‘annas’ or points. Some patterns are more complicated than others, earning the player more ‘annas’. The first player to get 8 victory points is the winner. The game, priced at R 2,900, can be purchased on Mad4fungames.com

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The New Indian Express
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