#Ashta chamma game manuals#

Can be played by a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 players.

Black boxes printed on a white cotton cloth.

This family game can create good social bonding and emotional growth among the children from a very tender age. Popularly known as ludo, this board game has been given different names in different parts of India, like Chowka Bara and Katta Mane. And hence our first collection was also commissioned in Madurai,вЂќ recalls Archana.ДЄs Archana shows the visitors around the store, she says many of them come in search of games that could be presented as gifts and that there are still people who buy games to decorate their living spaces.Ancient Living-Chauka Bara Four-Player Game / Ashta Chamma, Family Sport, Indoor Game From India, Game of Chase & Chance, Ideal gift on birthdays & home visits, 35*35*2cm It was one of our friends who suggested that we visit the Chithirai Thiruvizha jatara held in Madurai, a fair that is sort of a tribute to the almost extinct games in the country. вЂњMost of our orders are worked upon by artisans from Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka. They travelled across the length and breadth of the country in search of artisans who would make the boards according to their specifications. Sangeeta and Archana took four years to set up the store. One mistake and the whole game goes wrong,вЂќ Archana says. If a safe zone has to be on the third row, second column, the artisan has to make sure it is at the exact spot. It isnвЂ™t a piece of painting or an artwork. But the actual work began when we had to decide who would make the games for us. We met people who were extensively into playing games. Then we sat with our grandparents and wrote down the games they played. вЂњWe first made a list of all the games we knew. Until a year ago, Archana and Sangeeta occasionally held exhibitions in the city and overwhelmed with the response, the duo decided to set up a retail store. To curate the 150 games available at the store wasnвЂ™t an easy feat, Archana says. Taking grandmaвЂ™s help to finding artisans Since the games are customised, the raw materials are not procured in bulk,вЂќ Archana adds. Since some of the games are made using fabrics, we use hand-painted kalamkaari, and for others, we used Sholapur wood. For non-toxic games and articles, we procured natural, chemical-free sources to dye them. вЂњAll the games in the store are hand-made. The duo not only has expertise in board games but also sells toys, rattles, tic-tac-toe games, pamparams (ancient tops) and non-toxic masks. During our childhood days, such games helped a great deal in honing our counting capabilities.вЂќ ItвЂ™s a strategic game where the players have to think a lot and be calculative. вЂњGoats and Tigers is also an equally popular game, where one player gets the goats and the other the tigers,вЂќ Archana explains, adding, вЂњIf the tiger has to win, it has to kill all the goats and for the goat to win, it has to remain defensive and surround the tigers. The game progresses as the players move upward on the board according to the points they score. If all four shells fall with their mouth up, an вЂashtaвЂ™ is formed and the player scores an additional four points.

For every four shells landing with the mouth down, a вЂchammaвЂ™ is formed and the player gets a point. With faint similarities to Ludo, Ashta Chamma is a two or four-player board game played using cowry shells.

It is one of the oldest traditional games in India that even finds a mention in the Mahabharata epic. One of the most popular games, according to Archana, is the Ashta Chamma, played using dice or cowry shells (smooth, shiny shells with a slit-like opening).

#Ashta chamma game manuals#

Good Old Games is not a game parlour but is a retail outlet where kids and grown-ups can have a look at the myriad board games and pick one after reading the instruction manuals kept beside each game. вЂњWe realised we had not lost touch and thought why not introduce our children to the games we played, rather than just describing our lively childhoods to them,вЂќ she tells TNM. One day, as Sangeeta fell sick, the two friends wanted to kill time and played a board game which was lying around the house.