An event to be held in Bengaluru on September 30 will promote traditional games of India and other ancient civilisations. | Photo Credit: File Photo more-in When one thinks of heritage, it is mostly architectural history that comes to the mind. But, there is another aspect of heritage which is equally important and needs revival: the cultural history of a place. GoUNESCO, a not-for-profit organisation that promotes and helps people engage with local heritage, is attempting to bring out the cultural facet of local heritage this year as part of the Make Heritage Fun event. The event will be held simultaneously in different parts of the country on September 30, and will promote traditional games of India and other ancient civilisations, in Bengaluru. For the event, GoUNESCO has partnered with Kavade Toy Hive, a city-based play space that aims to revive forgotten traditional games played by both young and the old when technology was a distant concept. Ajay Reddy, founder of GoUNESCO, said, “Heritage is not just monuments, there is so much more to it; games are one part. Through the event, we want to highlight various aspects of heritage.” At Kavade in Seshadripuram, the ancient forms of one of the most popular games of today, chess, will be explored. Participants will be introduced to the various versions of chess that were played in ancient India – Chaturanga, in the Roman empire – Latrunculus, and in ancient Nordic and Celtic region – Tafl,” said Sreeranjini G.S., founder of Kavade. All these games were the reflection of the war times in these regions and much more relatable than the chess of today, she said. “The traditional games allow people to learn about the heritage and culture of a place and even its ecology. For instance, for alugulimane people living in the coastal area would use seashells, while those living in interior regions tamarind seeds. One can learn about the ecosystem of a place based on the materials used for the games,” she said. On the day, participants will also be re-introduced to Indian games such as Kalanay Belanay and Katte Mane, games from Karnataka, Chopad from north India, and others. “The idea is also to promote intergenerational bonding through the games,” Ms. Sreeranjini said.

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