SILVER LINING
As revolution resounded through the central square in Cairo, I was discovering ‘Mancala’ a strategy game which apparently originated thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt. But a little context first! Hamleys has just arrived in Chennai, and occupies pride of position in the new mall that’s already full to overflowing on weekends. I visited eagerly, curious to see if they had painstakingly recreated scenes from a recent fantasy movie, like I had seen in their store in London. And wondered if their local sales team would also be trained to easily engage with patrons of all ages.
Hamleys was understandably packed. I walked through both floors, cautiously optimistic, looking for that something unexpected that a supposed toy provider extraordinaire would surely build into their store. Nothing! Exaggeratedly cool salesmen with ear studs, busy chatting with each other, and lavishing embarrassing attention on a couple of expat kids, too young for the toys being thrust in their faces.
I moved on, desperate to find a silver lining, even if it came in the shape of another ‘made in China’ novelty toy. Then, I came across a rack with the Hamleys collection of store brand games. Titles I’ve not seen in other local stores. Beautifully finished, well packed, sensibly priced. Redemption! I snapped up two games right away. And know I’ll be back for more.
As I struggled through the surprising gaps in the instruction sheet, Mythily insisted there’s a traditional game from Tamil Nadu called ‘Palankuzhi’ that’s identical to Mancala, the former played with red seeds, instead of the glass beads in this game. As each player alternately scoops all the counters out of one of the six gorgeously hollowed recesses on their side of the board, and deposits a bead in each space in an anti-clockwise direction, it’s a race to collect the maximum number of beads in your home zone. Within a few rounds, I could appreciate the skill and strategy involved. All conspicuously absent in my first few fumbling attempts! Welcome to Chennai, Hamleys!!
The author may be contacted at arup_kavan@yahoo.com
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