The heat may keep children indoors during their vacation, but fret not. There are ways to keep them engaged and happy well within the home. Village Square does a round-up of some traditional Indian games that can keep your kids gainfully occupied all through their vacation.
Indians are no strangers to board games and no, it’s not just our British colonisers who introduced us to the concept. Various indoor games have been known to exist for over hundreds of years in this country. Some of them, such as kho kho, kabaddi and spinning top, are more outdoorsy than others, and continue to be popular. But with the heat picking up, there are several indoor games too that you can introduce your kids to this summer vacation. Well, age is actually no bar actually when it comes to a fun round of board games. Check out these six games that even teenagers and adults can enjoy:
This game is played using a board formed by two panels that have cup-like discs fashioned into them, and shells or seeds. Pallankuli traces its origins to Tamil Nadu. The game eventually spread to Sri Lanka and Malaysia as well. The objective is to move the seeds or shells from one cup to the other in a clockwise direction till the cups are empty.
Pallankuli requires 2 players, and children aged five years and above can play the game. Check out more info and purchasing options here.
A game of chaupar forms a prominent turning point in the Mahabharata, making it one of the country’s oldest games. It is played using shells, pawns, a plus-shaped board and dice. Players roll the dice and then strategise how to move their pawns. You could call it an old form of modern-day Ludo.
People aged 15 years and above can enjoy this game. Two to four players can engage in it at one time. Chaupar is available for purchase here.
The other name for moksha patam is gyan chaupar. It is a mediaeval Indian board game that involves a painted cloth board with snakes and ladders, the former representing evil and the latter good. This is why it was used by religious authorities to educate the masses on the virtues of life. In the 1800s the game travelled to Britain where it got the moniker “snakes and ladders”. Between two and four people can play the game.
Kids aged over four can play it. You can buy a set here.
Chess is a derivative of this traditional Indian game, which was far more complex. It literally translates to four limbs or four parts, a reference to the divisions in the traditional royal armies consisting of infantry, chariots, the cavalry and elephants. There is also a king and his minister so there are six kinds of pieces in this game. Two to four people can play it at a time.
Young adults who are aged 15 and up will enjoy this game, which can be purchased here.
Mesmerising glass balls, anyone? This game aims to strike a particular glass ball arranged among others, with a glass ball. The ball used to strike is held next to the middle finger of one hand, and released by the middle finger of the other. Whether you’re playing this game in a small group or a large one is immaterial. It’s an inexpensive and portable game that you can carry with ease if travelling on a summer vacation.
Any number of players can play this game, and kids aged 4 years and above should be able to enjoy it. Kancha balls are available on shopping sites like Amazon.
The term lattoo translates to spinning top. A traditional spinning top is made of clay or painted wood, which has a bulbous top and a pin below. The objective is to make this object spin on the ground for as long as you can. You can still find handcrafted lattoos at fairs, while modern ones even have LED lights and other special effects on them, though the traditional ones painted in bright hues are the true collector’s items.
One person can play with a lattoo at a time. You can find interesting specimens to buy here.
There is a lot of information available online about each of these games and many websites have started selling them online. Because many of them are made by traditional artisans, they cost a few hundred rupees. So go ahead and indulge in some indoor fun this season.
The lead image on top shows (clockwise from top left) spinning tops, chaupar, marbles and chaturanga set.
