sports A palatial room at the Patwon ki Haveli heritage building in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, with a vintage board for the game of Chausar on Ancient Indian epics are rife with descriptions of entertaining games that kept people of that time entertained through fictional yet strategic challenges. Be it indoor or outdoor games, there are The Game is several examples of hours spent by the elite and the masses alike From board games that sharpen the brain’s indulging in sporty challenges. Take strategic prowess, to those which build for example the game of chausar, memory, Indian traditional games are not just often called the ancestor of the for enjoyment. Abhishek Dubey looks at some immensely popular board game we of these games which are making a comeback in contemporary avatars, captivating the attention of even the modern day gamers the game used to be played with now call Ludo. Played by four players a dice on a checkered board, but on a cross-shaped board, the game without black and white squares. involves the strategic movement of Some say chaturanga (quadripartite) markers - four of which are allotted to was the original chess game. In every player. This is the game that Sanskrit, chatur means four and anga finds a mention even in the Indian means limbs, that were symbolic epic, Mahabharata. The modern of the four branches of an army. Just avatar, Ludo, is now one of the most like an army from the ancient times, popularly enjoyed game on online the game used pieces shaped like platforms with thousands of games elephants, chariots, horses and being hosted online. Historians say soldiers, and was mostly played to similar dice games were popular sharpen war strategies. The game across India during ancient times. spread to the Persian kingdom in the Remnants of oblong dices have been 600 CE as Shatranj. Another similar excavated at several Harrapan-era game was chauka bara, which was sites. The dice is mentioned in the played with cowries shells and coins Rig Veda and Atharva Veda too. to strategise for wars and also to help Another popular game, chess, children learn counting of is believed to have been invented in India. Experts say Not all indigenous games are designed to just it was originally known as entertain. A few local games are in fact, aimed ashtapada (64 squares) and towards sharpening memory and observation skills Left to right: The ancient strategy game of aadu puli attam, with markers representing lions and lambs; Young boys enjoying the traditional game of Gilli-danda in Turtuk village, Nubra Valley, Ladakh |37| sports Traditional games still enjoyed across India eastern India Tenga ball (Assam) – a game played with a pomelo, a fruit locally called robaabtenga Along-dolong (Assam) – the local version of London bridge Traditional Games of North India Luka-suri (Assam) hide and seek – Punjabi Kabaddi (Punjab) Mukna (Manipur) folk wrestling – Chaturanga (Uttar Pradesh) – Thang-ta (Manipur) – folk martial art form a form of chess Yubi lakpi (Manipur) – a game similar to rugby Lagori (Punjab) – also called but played with an oiled coconut seven stones, it involved Cheibi (Manipur) – an ancient form of fencing placing seven stones on top of Naga Wrestling (Nagaland) each other in decreasing size Achugwi Phan Sohlaimung (Tripura) – wrestling Gatka (Punjab) – a form of martial arts Dwkhwi Sotonmung (Tripura) – tug of war Camel race (Rajasthan) Traditional Games of South India Mallakhamba (Tamil Nadu) – it is a combination of gymnastics and yoga, Traditional Games where a participant displays acrobatic skills on a long pole (mallakhamba) of Western India Sathurangam (Tamil Nadu) - chess Slingshot (Maharashtra) – Chinni Dandu (Karnataka) – or gilli the classic slingshot or gulel danda, it involves hitting a small stick Kho kho (Maharashtra) a – with a larger one traditional game of tag Buguri (Karnataka) the classic game – Pagathiya (Gujarat) – the of top classic game of hopscotch Vallamkali/ Snake Boat ( Kerala) Traditional Games of around 1300 AD, local games of Tamil these hand-painted Nadu are, in fact, cards are precursors aimed towards to today’s strengthening memory and observation skills numbers. While it was originally played on squares stitched on silk fabric, a simpler version of the game is played in Southern India with chalk lines drawn on the floor. playing cards. The circular or square A similar traditional board game ganjifa cards, intricately painted in A large scale board used by Indian royals to play that is played even today is kattam vibrant colours and motifs inspired by the game of Chausar. vilayattu. A variation of tic-tac-toe, nature, mythology or life, were Chausar, a strategic board game is closely related to the game used to be played with played in groups. While the game the ancient games of shells, coins or even stones! may have been lost to time, the art of chaupar, pachisi and Ludo Card games too were popular ganjifa making is still alive in India during the medieval era. in pockets of the country. These An example is ganjifa, which was games were mostly developed to immensely popular in sharpen the brain or skills. A few Mughal courts. Mentioned in historical records beginning Indian epics are rife with descriptions of entertaining games that kept our mythical heroes entertained through strategic challenges sport Many of the traditional Indian games have even LOCAL FLAVOUR evolved in from and rules to sustain the vagaries India is also the birthplace of of time and entertain the contemporary gamer several outdoor games, that are known across the world by different names. What the rest of the world calls catch-and-throw, the residents of Assam’s Karbi - pallankulli attam and aadu puli Anglong district call dhup-khel. attam (also known as huli gatta in But the key element that sets the Karnataka and puli joodam in two apart is the object being Andhra Pradesh) being two of thrown and caught – a fabric ball. them. The first, which requires It is one of the more popular two columns of boards with games among local women. Lore seven shallow cups and objects says originally, women used to to resemble coins (pebbles, wrap cloth around a vegetable seeds or shells), is played by two and use it as a ball! It has often or four players, while the second, been seen that traditional games boasts a rather interesting set of used ingredients found locally. rules involving coins representing An apt example is the game of A set of painted ivory goats and tigers! or ganjifa playing gilli-danda, which is popular across cards from the Deccan Interestingly, many of these rural India even today. Played with region (left) and from ancient indoor games are being Rajasthan (right) from two pieces of sticks and a stone the 18th-19th century reborn on online gaming platforms. Image: eastmojo.com Top: A referee initiating a game of insuknawr in Mizoram. The game is related to modern day tug of war and involves one team pushing the other out of bounds with a bamboo stick; Bottom: The board for the Tamil game of pallankulli attam with seven different cups and can be played with pebbles for markers each other out or a rounded object, it can be by played between two or more holding a players. History says this bamboo game was popular in the or a region around 2000 years ago. wooden The beauty of these sports is staff. that, while such modern games as Such is football and boxing exist, traditional the ones are still intrinsic to everyday importanc life across the country. Take for e of this example Mizoram’s insuknawr, a indigenou sport where participants try to push s game that its representation can be found on the steps to preserve these games. emblem of the state sports council. While board games are being In Northern India we see such reborn in digital formats, schools traditional games as kushti have been asked to train children (pehelwani or wrestling), which is in ancient outdoor games like also popularly and extensively silambam, mallakhamb, and practised in South India as gushti; gatka. surr (an outdoor game of tag played in the areas Abhishek Dubey is India’s foremost sports journalist, who has covered international sports for over around Ayodhya in northern India) and sqay (a form of martial 15 years now. He plunged headlong into sports art originating in Kashmir). There are examples of such journalism, at a very young age and ended up leading cross functional teams. He is the author of three traditional games from every region of the country. Today, as critically acclaimed books and is currently, National Advisor, at we look to the past to find solutions for our present, these Prasar Bharati Sports, India’s state broadcaster. traditional games and their relevance become very important. Government and private organisations are taking .