Long lost childhood games - Channe Mane

Get ready for a nostalgic drive, for am taking you to the memory lanes of our childhood days. We all have plenty of fond memories attached to those bygone days. 

- school days, burdensome school bags, never ending home works, tests and exams jitters, results, school competitions, nervous stage performances, friends and foes, so called groupisms, inter-colony cricket matches, summer holidays, visiting grandparents, the list goes on....

But one major work we used to do as kids was play, play and play whether its indoor or outdoor. The  outdoor games have almost become extinct now, thanks to the busy and hectic lifestyle. And we hardly find any unoccupied plots or open grounds like earlier.

Here is a small attempt to revive those lost childhood games and traditional Indian games which we used to play and enjoy as kids. 

The first in the series is a game called Channe Mane. Some people might know this game as Atkuni Mane, Aleguli Mane, Gundpale (Konkani) and so on.

I will tell you the rules briefly. 

The board or the Mane looks like this. Usually it is played using tamarind seeds. But any other seeds can also be used. At the start of the game each hole contains five seeds.

1. The first player picks up the seeds of one of his holes and distributes them into the following holes one by one anti-clockwise.
2. After dropping the last seed into a hole, the contents of the following hole are distributed in another lap.
3. The move ends when the following hole is empty. This is called "saada".
4. If the hole is empty, the player captures the contents of the succeeding hole. In addition, he captures the contents of the hole opposite to that hole.
5. Each turn a player may move twice, if he captures in his first move. Then his term ends after two "saadas".
6. A player must move unless he has nothing to play with.
7. The game is finished when all counters are taken.
8. The player who has collected most counters wins the game.
9. In the next round, each player tries to fill his holes with five counters from his winnings. These holes which cannot be filled are marked with a pebble or a twig and are avoided for further play. The match is continued until one player is unable to fill even one hole.

It is such an addictive game. Do share your experiences if you have played this game or if you still have this at home. 

Tune in for more such games!

Other Long Lost Childhood Games -   Kancha (Goli)  | Spinning Top (Bugari)  |  Gilli Danda (Chinni Dandu)  |  Lagori / Pittu  | Hide-and-Seek / Chuppa Chuppi