CHENNAI: My journey to understand more about games has taken me to the strangest places, among them Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi. The land occupied by the JNU has a fascinating history that is believed to date back thousands of years.
Archaeological studies have revealed that the area has been inhabited since the Paleolithic ages, with evidence of human activity, that include ancient tools and graffiti on rock. Also found, are the typical wedge marks which many believe indicate a medieval attempt to quarry boulders.
I was invited to the university by a PhD student there, who on his wanderings through the campus found some incredible markings on the rocks that looked like games. I arrived at the University ready to explore these.
Most of my efforts to uncover games have been in old temples and monuments. This was a different experience. The thick brush was hard to get through with the thorns pulling at my clothes and I marvelled at the enthusiasm of this young PhD student to explore this place. My efforts were deeply rewarded. We saw several cup marks. Some would seem to indicate the traditional game of Saath Kooti (or Pallanguzhi as it is known in Tamil) with two parallel rows of seven cups, while others were more random and needed to be studied further.
But the exciting discovery was the games. One which was fairly clear was of three concentric squares — the game of Dahdi or Nav Kankri as it is popularly called. Some of the markings were less distinct but seemed to indicate a game-like grid.
What were these games doing in the middle of nowhere? In most other places I visited, I believed that builders or artisans involved in building temples and monuments were responsible for the etching of these games as a means to pass the time. There was no such building activity here. So, what led to the presence of the games?
My young PhD friend indicated that perhaps these were done by cattle herders in the area. That seems unlikely to me because cattle herders typically don’t go around with implements that can cut into the hard rock. When I saw the wedge marks and remembered their linkage to a quarry, it seemed more likely that these were etched by stonemasons’ quarrying in these hills. The distinctive grey rock of the JNU hills is quartzite and typical to the Delhi Aravalli group of rocks.
It seems like many games were to be found in that area. It was not just at JNU, but right across the road in a park where more games were carved on rocky outcroppings. We had to clear away dust, weeds, waste papers, and packets of chips discarded by visitors, and we found a fantastic collection of games. Our games have been around us everywhere. We just need to know where to look.