7 traditional games we loved playing in our childhood in Vizag

The new Korean series on Netflix, Squid Game has sent the Indian audiences crazy. It has been trending on Netflix, being the no. 1 series on the platform’s Top 10 list. The part where the characters in the series play popular Korean childhood games to survive has connected with the masses. It has got us reminiscing about all the games that we used to play as children in Vizag.

Here are some such games that we loved to play as children:

#1 Hopscotch (Tokkudu Billa in Telugu)

This one is a classic. We all have played this game at some point in our childhood. All we need is a piece of chalk which we use to draw up boxes on the floor and number them. We pick a stone or a coin and throw it on the first box. Then, as the name of the game suggests, we hop from one box to another across the hopscotch board and then back to reach the box where the stone has fallen. If the player manages to do this successfully, then, they can move on to the next box or else they need to start over.

#2 Nela Banda

This is a childhood game we used to love playing because we could play it anywhere. All we needed was an area with varying levels of height. One person is chosen as the catcher who either picks ‘Nela’ or ‘Banda’ and the remaining players stand in the other area. Then, the catcher should catch the other players when in his/her area and should not leave this area. If he/she manages to catch a player, then, that person becomes the catcher for the next round of this game.

#3 Four Pillars (Nalugu Stambalata in Telugu)

This traditional game requires five players and can be played within a room. Four of these players stand at each corner of the room, which is considered a pillar. The one remaining player is the catcher who has to steal a pillar while the other players are moving from one pillar to another. The player who loses their pillar becomes the next catcher. It has been extremely popular as a children’s game in Vizag since the 1960s.

#4 Hide and Seek (Dagudumootala Dandakor in Telugu)

One game that we have all played as a kid. In this game, one person is blindfolded and the rest around him/her. The blindfolded player has to tag as many people as they can. In another version of this game, one player is chosen to close their eyes and count up to a specified number. Then, that player has to find and tag all the other players. This childhood game is not limited to Vizag, being one of the most popular children’s games in the world.

#5 Marbles

Much like Squid Game, the people of Vizag also have a history of playing with marbles. And much like the participants of Squid Game, children can choose which game to play with their marbles. The one variant that is played by the majority though is where each player has 10 marbles and the objective is to win your opponents’ marbles by hitting them with your marbles.

#6 Ashta Chamma

While we love playing Ludo today on our phones, we used to play a different version of it back in the day. Called Ashta Chamma, this game has the same objective as that of Ludo – to roll the dice and take your pawns home step-by-step. But the game strongly differs from Ludo in strategies and tactics used to win it. While Ludo is an amazing game, especially on the board, it might be worthwhile to give Ashta Chamma a chance.

#7 Gudu Gudu Gunjam

In this simple game, a group of children sit cross-legged in a circle and put their fists one on top of another. One of the players has to take his/her index finger and put it inside the hole formed by the tower of fists. It’s a classic game that we have all played as kids when we had a lot of time to pass.

While no one would want to play these games again in a Squid Game-like scenario, it’s not a bad idea to just meet our friends one day and play these games and relive those golden days of childhood.

Here are 7 other things that we loved doing in our childhood.