Ancient board games win Bengaluru hearts; ludo, chaupar, snakes-and-ladders are favourites

Three months ago, a group of people gathered for a party at a tony restaurant on Lavelle Road with ancient board games like chaupar, chauka bara and adu huli aata (translated as the ‘goat and tiger game’). “Everyone — young professionals — spent hours playing chaupar and understanding its roots,” said Vinita Siddhartha, who helped organise the event.

Given the growing demand for ancient board games, a number of initiatives to promote them have mushroomed in the IT city. On offer are games like chauka bara, chaturanga (four-handed chess), dahada (two-player strategy game), pagade or chaupar (Indian variant of Ludo), aliguli mane or pallanguzhi and paramapada (snakes and ladders). They are being made available to people through online e-commerce portals and offline play spaces.

The founder of one such platform called Kreeda, Siddhartha, said Bengaluru is her second-largest market after Chennai (where it is based). She organises over half-a dozen events here annually in collaboration with Nazariya, a Delhi-based group.

“These games appeal to a large demographic: young parents wanting to introduce their children to games they grew up on; senior citizens driven by nostalgia and youngsters eager to go beyond their digital bubbles to try something new,” said GS Sreeranjini, founder of Kavade. Apart from retailing online and through her Seshadripuram store, Sreeranjini also caters to corporates, who use the games to understand concepts like strategy, collaboration and teamwork.

For banking consultant Radhika Anand, these games are conversation-starters that bridge gaps between generations. “Playing these old board games introduces the younger generation to cultural history and gets seniors talking about their childhood,” said the Malleswaram resident.

While the simpler games cost between Rs 100 and Rs 150, the more elaborate ones are priced between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 or more. Siddhartha said the pricing is competitive compared with the contemporary board games available at retail outlets. “Historically, the rules of these games depended on how people remembered them. Today, ventures spend many hours testing these games and framing rules accordingly,” she said. “Moreover, these games are made by local artisans, with high-quality eco-friendly materials and durable packaging.”

Organisations like the city-headquartered GoUnesco, which works to increase people’s engagement with heritage, are making these games a part of their awareness initiatives. Founder Ajay Reddy said they introduced these games in their ‘Make Heritage Fun’ initiative. He said, “Heritage is not only monuments or structures falling apart. In an age where people are getting addicted to online gaming, these games play a dual purpose of creating awareness about the past and getting people face-to-face to spend quality time with each other.”