THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) through a popular campaign is set to document, conserve and illuminate available information and material remains on the traditional board games for the Muziris Children’s Museum at Pattanam.
KCHR is seeking public support for systematic conservation coinciding with its decision to digitise Kerala’s past. KCHR is also calling for applicants to do research on ancient board games which would be funded by it.
The Museum has a board game corner where the Roman gaming counters excavated at Pattanam are displayed. Arrangements are also being made to provide children hands-on experience of ancient board games.
During the Kurukshetra War in the Indian epic Mahabharata, Kings used to play Chaturanga, a board game. Even during temple festivals, locals used to engage in board games on the floor which has now gone the corporate way in the form of chess championships and carom.
P. J. Cherian, director of KCHR told DC that the aim was to look at how board games were practiced during earlier times.
“Now the stage has come where social intellectual engagement tools have been lost. Everything has become commercialized. We want to know how the current ‘power’ society engages in leisure activities. Also, we want to provide a fellowship to the right candidates who can take up research activities in board games”, said Cherian.
KCHR has appealed to artisans and families that were involved in crafting and playing the games to lend their expertise to the project.
KCHR is also seeking photographs, sketches, specimens, rules involved in playing the board games in different social, cultural and religious spaces from these families.
