CHENNAI: There are many ways in which we discover traditional games, but at the end of the day, once I have a thread, we identify people who have actually played the game and that becomes the core of my research and knowledge. People have played the game, they know the quirks, they know the challenges and it helps to define the rules.
True, sometimes people don’t remember all the rules. Then, we end up talking to numerous people with faint memories and piecing the rules together.
However, of all the games that we brought out through Kreeda, there was one in which we had no evidence that people had actually played the game Chathurvimshathi Koshtaka or the Game in 24 Squares. All we had was a reference in a book.
The few lines in the book when translated gave us clues to how the game was played and helped us piece the rules together, after much trial and error.
So, imagine my delight when a group of friends visited the Gwalior Fort and the Saas Bahu Temple there. These were friends who have travelled with me many times in the past and they were used to seeing me crawling over every inch of floor, looking at games that could be inscribed there. Unfortunately, I could not make this trip, but my friends rose to the occasion.
I got numerous photos of games from the temple from various many friends in the group. It almost made me feel I was there. But I think the greatest treasure shared was the photo of a board so similar to this game or something close to it. The etched board had a couple of extra squares and crosses, but the resemblance was uncanny.
I don’t know enough to identify the board. I don’t know if it’s a different game or even an incomplete board that is part of a different game. I do know that its one more clue in the hunt and documentation of traditional games. If any one has any knowledge about this game or a game played on a similar board, do reach out to us.
There are many, many places across India where there is evidence and clues about our wonderful culture of traditional games. When friends and supporters rally around and share information you get to learn a lot. And slowly but surely we will piece together more about this intangible heritage.