Indian indoor games should be showcased in new, attractive avatar: PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that we should present the traditional indoor games of India in a new and attractive 'avatar' and emphasised that there is a strong opportunity for start-ups in this sector.

"We should present the traditional indoor games of India in a new and attractive avatar. Those mobilising their sources pertaining to these games, the suppliers and start-ups associated with these traditional indoor games will become very popular, and, we have to remember that, our Indian sports are also local, and we have already pledged to be vocal for local," the Prime Minister said in his monthly address to the nation on 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme.

"Friends, our country has a very rich heritage of traditional sports. For example, you may have heard the name of a game called 'Pachisi'. This game is played as 'Pallanguli' in Tamil Nadu, is called 'Ali Guli Mane' in Karnataka and is known as 'VamanGuntlu' in Andhra Pradesh. It is a type of game employing strategy in which a board is used with many pits, in which the players have to catch hold of the pellet or seed. It is said that this game has spread from South India to Southeast Asia and then to the rest of the world," he said.

"Now that it has come to studying online, in order to strike a balance and also to get rid of online gaming we must do so for the sake of our children. Herein also lies a strong opportunity for our start-ups and even for our younger generation," the Prime Minister said.

He also highlighted another traditional Indian game, called "Moksha Patam" or "Parampadam" and "Gutta".

"This game is popular with elders and the children alike and involves simply getting hold of five small stones of the same size and Behold! - you are ready to play Gutta! You've to throw one stone into the air and while that stone is in the air, you have to grab the remaining stones on the ground," the Prime Minister said.

"Usually there isn't a need for any major contraptions in the indoor games prevalent in our country. Someone just brings along chalk or a stone, draws a few lines with it on the ground and a game is ready to be played! In games requiring a dice, improvisation is made with cowrie shells or tamarind seeds," he said.