Women's Day Tribute: Honoring the Guardians of Traditional Games

When I started Roll the Dice, I knew only a few traditional games like Chowka Bara, Pagade, and Alaguli Mane (also known as Channe Mane and pallankuzhi). My journey into the heart of these games led me to many guardians of this heritage, particularly women who have kept these traditions vibrant and alive.

Pagade - My learning journey began with Mysore’s Kamalamma, who taught me different variations like jodi aata and saada aata. Aunt Indumathi shared her family’s ancient Pagade set and its histories. Geetha’s mother-in-law introduced me to intriguing games like hooLo aata and eLara aata. Most recently, Smt. Padmaja Godkhindi enriched my understanding with the nuances of moole aata.

Channe Mane - I’ve been blessed to delve deeper into Channe Mane, guided by close family including my mother-in-law and a cousin’s wife. A remarkable experience was meeting a 70-year-old woman from Belthangady taluk in Dakshina Kannada. During the monsoon, the community gathers to play Channe Mane, a tradition she celebrated through a lengthy folk song, illustrating how the game weaves into the fabric of their daily lives.

On this Women's Day, I want to honor these incredible women and all the others across India who have lovingly preserved these rich traditions, continuing to inspire and ignite the imaginations of future generations.

Do you know someone playing these unique traditional games? Tag them in the comments! Connect me to them :-)