COVID-19 has got the world reconsidering how granted we took our freedom for. Iran has recorded over 1,135 deaths due to the virus, the scene is a little better in India, with over 205 cases and 4 deaths. However, the impact of this is not only limited to the loss of lives- it extends to every line of business and the economy as whole. The government has taken the necessary steps to contain the virus from spreading, and has ordered all malls, restaurants and public spaces to close in the major cities of the country. While more and more people are trying to stay home in order to keep themselves and their families safe from COVID-19, we also urge our readers to practice self-isolation and step out only when ABSOLTELY necessary. Having said that, self-isolation is important, but it need not be drab and boring!
Here are top fun and quirky games that you can try out with you and your family:
1. Antakshari:
Honestly, this is the most desi game you can resort to during this time. Gather the people in our house, form teams, and unleash the Bollywood bug in you. For those of you whoa re new to this term, this game may consist of 2-3 teams depending upon the number of people who are playing. Sing the customary “Shuru karo antakshari lekar prabhu ka naam, samay bitane ke liye karna hai kuch kaam!” and pray that you are NOT the team who has to sing from “m”. After one team finishes singing, the other team has to pick up a song from the last syllable of the last word of the song that the team was singing. If one team gets stuck, the other teams count “1..2..3..4..5…10” before they ask them to say “pass”, after which the syllable is passed to the next team.
2. Cards
Self-isolating or not, cards are a popular past-time in every Indian household. In every house, there is at least one nana, dada, tau-ji, phupha-ji or chacha-ji who thinks it is impossible to beat them at cards- and face it, they have been playing for so long that it really is! Use this time to learn the ways of playing cards and the tricks of winning every game! Some card games you can try with your family are- 3-2-5, Bluff, Tummy, Teen Patti, etc.
For those of you with kids, try the famous game called Chatai- take out the Jokers and place all the other cards facing down. The game is to try to make pairs based on colour or number from memory. Pick one card randomly, and then pick another one. If they match, it’s a pair! If they don’t, place them face down again and let the other player try.
3. Dumb charades:
If all your family members are isolating from the outside world, then this has got to be the most fun game you all can play! This game requires one person from a team to come and act the name of a movie (Bollywood or Hollywood) that the other team will give him. The catch here is that that person cannot talk! The name of the movie has to be enacted via gestures, signs, facial expressions or body language.
Pro tip- one movie that my family and I LOVE to give is “Paap ko jala ke rakh kar dunga.” It has 7 words, and always leaves the other team scratching their heads!
4. Monopoly
Also called “Vyapaar” in India, this is definitely the best game to try if you have a big family. Never has this game ended without chaos and clash. NEVER!
For years, this game has gained and maintained its popularity as the best indoor board game. The name means domination over the market- and that is what the aim of this game is, to try to gather as much money and property as possible to become rich, and win! (slowly looking at Indian uncles). Each player selects a token and takes turns to move it. One player becomes the Banker who distributes money and assets to all players. Players and buy property or even build their own. This game takes hours to finish and will easily consume your time and save you from feeling doomed during isolation.
5. Scrabble:
Because, why not! This word game can be played by two to four participants. The players have to form valid words from alphabet tokens and they get scored according to the numbers given to each alphabet. Every player is given 7 alphabet tokens in the beginning of the game. If he is able to use all 7 in a single turn, then he is awarded 50 points in addition to the points the word makes. All words that are included as a part of speech are considered valid, whereas abbreviations, suffixes and prefixes alone, hyphenated words are not considered.
Pro-tip: it is always good to keep a dictionary handy, because all of us tend to make up shwartyuplky words and then say, ”Arey, ye sach me word hota hai!”
6. Darts:
Quite a fun game to have if you have kids and teens in the house. (and items that you can afford to break.) This game has a dart-board that can be hung on a wall, and a set of darts. The board has several circular regions marked differently and each one carries a different score. The closer you are to the centre, the more you score. Each player must stand at a considerable distance from the board and throw the darts. The player will be scored according to the area where he/she hits the dart.
7. Carrom
An age old game which was quite popular in the 80s and 90s during summer vacations in families.
The game can have maximum four players, though 2-3 people can also play. When playing in full capacity, the players are divided in two teams and each team chooses a colour of tokens either black or white. The team that takes the queen and takes all the tokens off the board by striking them to the pockets wins.
If you have a carrom board at home then take it out of that store room where it is lying packed for years and start playing. You sure would love it.
8. Chess
A famous two player game requiring wit and patience. Try it out if you have the chess board.
9. Ludo
At some point in time we have all played this game. So lets get going again.
10. Snakes & Ladder
Get on a ride with the snakes. Get bitten or escape them to climb up the ladder
These are some games you can try at home if you do not want to get bored to death. However, in light of the recent rapid rise in the number of cases, we would request you all to properly sanitize every token and every board before you get down to playing. Please use proper methods to keep your family and yourself safe and sound.
And also, don’t forget to chant “Go Corona, Go Corona” at least thrice a day.
Also read about 10 International games with origins in India HERE
