Dark and dingy basements, smoke whirling all around, players hunched over carrom boards, their radiating eyes focussed to pot the red queen. With the game of carrom coming down drastically in the popularity charts, such scenes have now become a rarity. Having a history of more than 25 years, the KK Club owned by Mohammad Sajid at Farashkhana near G.B. Road witnessed permanent closure a year ago. ‘Carrom with Crime' is the main reason for the downfall of the carrom club market in Delhi. Regular police crackdowns, group clashes and credit extensions accord for the shutdown of the clubs.
Carrom, a game played between two or four players, is one of the most popular indoor games. The rules of game-play are quite similar to those of billiards, and with more than five different modes of play, the game incites high levels of excitement. Betting is also responsible for converting carrom clubs into crime hubs, with money being put on every move of the game resulting in frequent brawls between the involved parties.
Carrom clubs had once been Delhi's much-loved hidden hangouts flooded with people ready to take their chances at the coveted queen. The clubs used to be the best hideouts for people to break the monotony of their daily routines. “Hugely popular amongst all age groups, especially the young blood, everybody frequented the place to get a dose of the game,” says Anas, owner of a carrom club at Okhla Vihar. Apart from entertainment, the clubs also aimed at scaling profits and were a source of livelihood to the owners.
The carrom club market observed a major boom about 10 to 12 years ago when tournaments were organised and players from all over Delhi actively participated. Carrom gradually became the most talked about and religiously followed sport of the people dwelling in Muslim concentrated areas. The KK club located at Farash khana was the motivating force behind the establishment of other carrom parlours in Nizamuddin Basti, Okhla Vihar, Jama Masjid and Seelampur. However, with the passage of time, a proportionate rise in crime led to the decline of the clubs. “Problems like gang conflicts and brawls plagued the carrom club market leading to their demise finally,” says Khalid, co-owner of a carrom club at Okhla Vihar.
Carrom culture is breathing its last with the emergence of various other escapades such as video game parlours, pool clubs, TT clubs, and clubs, etc. The backstreets leading to the club cellars now lie deserted with no more carrom lovers. The red queen longs for the king and the kingdom lies desolate.
