On the other side of the fortress-like walls of plot number 761, Jubilee Hills, is a double-storeyed building that will make even grandparents feel like kids in a candy store. Archana Reddy and Sangeetha Rajesh’s Good Old Games is, as the name suggests, a mini museum-cum-store of traditional games, from pachisi , ashta chamma , vamana guntalu to puli joodham ; the space is a treasure trove of memories from an era gone by.
The ground floor has been converted to hold as many as 150 games across 30 categories — with sizes varying from hand-held ones to those as big as four-seater dining tables.
The light catches the shine of the glossy wooden pieces. The pieces take up most of the space. There are colourful board games that come with intricately carved figurines of birds, animals and humans that are no more than a couple of centimetres in height, meant to be counters of the various games.
Work of art
“Most of the games are made to order. We also take quite some time to meet the purchase order because we are dependent on artisans to give us the final product for delivery,” says Archana. “Every game we have in our collection involves many hours of labour, to do justice to the minute detailing”. Some of the other games at the store are daadi , paramapada sopana patam (Snakes and Ladders), chadarangam (chess), kailasam , gacha kayalu , bambaram and pithoo among others — all a welcome surprise in a time of digitised versions which, frankly, don’t evoke the same satisfaction should you actually win.
Hyderabad, Telangana, 13/04/2019: (To go in The Hindu Metroplus with Prabalikas special story): Different traditional indian games on display at the store in Hyderabad. Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu
The duo is happy to show visitors around. Good Old Games is run more with a revivalist mindset than as an indie store. Strangely though, Archana says, seeing the work on the games and “the manner in which we display them, many games have been bought to be used for display in homes. We aren’t complaining, as long as it is creating awareness and curiosity. Willingness to make it a part of the family is a big win because traditional games were all about involving family, sharing, and learning to make strategic moves to reach your goal. Another quality which these games seem to have been designed upon is honesty.”
Friends to business partners
Good Old Games came about when the two friends were trying to spend time one afternoon at Sangeetha’s home when she was unwell. “There was a board game lying around; we began playing it to kill time and realised that we hadn’t lost touch,” says Archana. There was also the realisation that their children had absolutely no idea about these games and that they could become a wonderful part of their growing years .
Hyderabad, Telangana, 13/04/2019: (To go in The Hindu Metroplus with Prabalikas special story): Archana of Good Old Games are on a spree to revive traditional indian games at her Sangeeta studio in Hyderabad. Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu
The two friends-turned-business partners don’t simply procure and sell products. Having been avid players of most of the games they stock, the duo took four years to set up Good Old Games. “Because we wanted to start it after we were sure we knew where to get what we needed,” says Sangeetha.
“In our quest to find craftspeople and artisans, who make these games, we have travelled the length and breadth of the country. We shortlisted the artisans who agreed to work according to the design needs and specifications of board games. We then worked on designing the coins and pawns. It has been a slow process, but a satisfying one,” says Sangeetha.
- The Chithirai Festival is a great opportunity to experience local life in Madurai and see a traditional Hindu wedding ritual. It attracts huge crowds from surrounding areas.
- The festival is celebrated with the enthusiasm of a real wedding. The celebrations extend all over the city, and the streets are flooded with devotees. In addition, an annual Chithirai exhibition is organised by the government at Tamukkam Grounds, on the city’s northern side.
Some of these games have been worked upon by artisans in places such as Srikalahasti in Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madurai and Chennapatnam. “Our first collection was designed in Madurai. One of our friends recommended that we visit the Chithirai Thiruvizha jatara (see box). One has to be there to believe the treasure trove of games on offer,” says Sangeetha.
A board game that looks like Snakes and Ladders takes pride of place. Turns out, this circular version is the original design of the modern game that we’re all familiar with. Incidentally, the original game finishes at 132 and not 100, as we know it. The rules of the game require a player to “at final row proceed only one square at a time; they cannot reach home by rolling any number bigger than 1”, says Archana.
Mission revival
Hyderabad, Telangana, 13/04/2019: (To go in The Hindu Metroplus with Prabalikas special story): Different traditional indian games on display at the store in Hyderabad. Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu
Their mission is not to just revive games but also to present an alternative to virtual games. Old framed paintings from archives hung on the walls provide pictorial proof of the importance these games held back in the day. “Invitations from different cities to attend exhibitions with their collection of games keeps them busy. Exhibitions and game classes in Bengaluru and Chennai are always sold out, they say.
Pointing to the Ludo board on the floor that costs a whopping ₹20,000 Archana says, “This piece can be dismantled. It is almost as big as a dining table for four. Our Baahubali- themed chess board still remains a major attraction. We do anything and everything to make people want these games to play at home. If big ones don’t match someone’s budget, there are affordable ones as well,” says Archana.
