Chess, carrom, ludo, snakes and ladders are just some of the more popular indoor games that originated in India. However, there are many lesser-known games too – games your grandmothers and grandfathers played with their friends. Here are a few:
Sozhi Urutturadhu
Played using sea shells (sozhi), there are many variations to this game. In the most popular equivalent – Odd or Even, each player is asked to choose between an odd and even outcome. Five shells are rolled. If the open shells are odd in number, the player who chose the odd option wins a point and the other player loses a point. This goes on until the players get tired.
Shells have also been used to tell the future of a person.
Aadu Puli Attam
Roughly translated to mean “Goat and tiger game”, it is a strategic two-player board game where one player controls three tigers and the other controls 15 goats. The tigers attempt to hunt down the goats while the goats try to block the tigers.
Kokku Para Para
A simple game, Kokku Para Para (Crane Fly Fly) gives an idea to the child on the objects that fly and objects that don’t. The kids sit around in a circle. The commander shouts out the name of an item followed by Para Para. If the item is one that flies, all the kids are to make the flying gesture. If they fail to, they are out.
So sit with your grandparents and play these three delightful games. And ask them if they know of any others.
