As more than a hundred tiles bearing Chinese symbols are shuffled, four players seated around a table exchange calculating glances, their minds working through possible strategies as the dice roll and the game unfolds, each move with the potential to change its course. This is Mahjong, the Chinese-origin game that blends strategy, skill, and a little luck.
Once played largely within close-knit circles, Mahjong is now finding a more organised social space in Chennai with At The Table, a members-only studio in Alwarpet founded by image consultant and Mahjong enthusiast Jharna Sattanathan. Commencing operations earlier this month, the studio has 85 registered members. “This way, I can filter the crowd based on their understanding level of the game,” says Jharna.
The private premise stemmed from the idea that Jharna wanted to “create value in people’s lives.” While she was already doing so with her fashion merchandising profession, she planned to extend her services by teaching her friends the game. “Mahjong is a lot like life. You have to make a lot of decisions and should be a little bit intuitive. In Mahjong, it’s not like we choose the tiles; it’s similar to how in life we come across various situations and deal with them. We don’t know whether it’s the best decision, but it’s the best you could do,” she explains.
After learning the game in Mumbai in September 2025, Jharna taught Mahjong to 100-odd individuals by June 2026 in Chennai, spending six hours daily at her home. But she felt she was not able to scale up. The other issue was that those who learnt the game weren’t playing enough, as they had no one else to play with. “You lose (touch with the game) if you don’t practice, and there’s no point in learning,” she notes.
Hence, Jharna decided to find a place where she could teach more than four people at a time. She also brought in teachers from Mumbai and Bengaluru to help upgrade her students’ skills.
Jharna wanted to build a community: “A space where people can come and participate in tournaments and events. It’s a place where people come to meet others, to get out of the monotony of life.”
The game is considered to keep your mind active because the players have to remember certain patterns. “It is like meditation. You can be very relaxed about it and live in the present. Mahjong tells you to be here and now,” she says.
While traditionally played by men in China, in Chennai, the game is popular among the ladies. Women aged between 29 and 60 years are members at the studio, which has an annual subscription model. In the first year, the member pays Rs 10,000, which includes benefits from learning the game to participating in tournaments, mixers — a weekend event where tables are switched after every four games, allowing the participants to meet new people — and getting served bite-sized snacks and beverages from KUP Coffee Roasters. The membership fee decreases the next year onwards.
Beyond these scheduled events, what has been most rewarding for Jharna is seeing the community take shape. Members have responded positively so far. She shares, “I feel good seeing people come here and connect, and most importantly, they’ve been really liking the vibe of the place. They find it very relaxing, and they really look forward to coming.”
With At The Table, Jharna hopes to offer Chennai more than a place to learn the game. It is a space to step out of the everyday, spend time with new people, and discover that making connections is winning in the game and in life.