Board Games: It’s back to the board

Hyderabad: “Nothing compares to the experience of playing against a human mind, face-to-face. Now, kids play on their computers and consoles, staring at screens and most of the time against a computer. This doesn’t amount to much learning compared to what our ancient board games can offer,” says Ramya Surapaneni, who has started an initiative called Spardha in March 2014 after researching the ancient board games of India.

The 26-year-old adds, “Moreover, there is so much violence in most of the new games. These are causing more harm than good at various levels, from affecting the children’s physical health and eyesight to mental attitudes.”

Firm on her conviction that these games work wonders in fostering social skills, she says, “Right now, we are focusing on three games, – Mancala; Pachis — a games of 25 squares divided into fours, and Vaikunta paali — a game similar to snakes and ladders. These games provide opportunities for building strategy, focus and attention span, besides bringing people together and helping them face ups and downs. Even luck plays an important role. Luck is the thing that keeps you going with the hope that your luck will change anytime and you will win,” she says.

Spardha right now is conducting workshops to get children to at least be aware of these games. The organisation, run by Ramya and a small team of three people and a carpenter, also makes board games on order. For Pachis, which Spardha makes on velvet with rich zardosi work, the team has roped in housewives.

The pieces are also gaining popularity among people from different walks of life and in just two months, Spardha has sold 120 games.

“In both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, these games are huge parts of their traditions and marriages. In Andhra Pradesh, during the Shravana maasam, when the groom comes to the bride’s place, he is gifted with a game. In Telangana, during marriages, the girls generally gift a game to the groom,” says Ramya.

Originally from Adilabad, Ramya moved to Hyderabad three years ago after marriage. She is right now focusing on Spardha while juggling a private practise.

“As a child, I would play with my grandfather. We had a different kind of bond and I believe it was because we spent so much of time, playing these games. It wasn’t just the games, it was how we tried and figure out each other’s moves to how we tried to distract each other,” recalls Ramya.