Only the 90s kid would realize how different our childhood was from the children today. I would say 90s kids are the luckiest, they got to experience on how’s life before the technology and after the technology. We spent our childhood before the technology when the internet could be accessed from cyber cafes and only rich people could afford computers and mobiles. Things have changed a lot, like those things which were once a luxury is now a necessity. The irony that the time we were scolded for playing outside for a long time, these generation kids get scolded for staying home. These children missed the fun of playing outside with all the kids of the neighborhood gathered to play games. In this list, we present you with 10 Nepalese childhood games that need a comeback.
1.Guchha
Guchha or marbles has a special place in the heart of Nepalese kids. Basically, it is a game where the players try to score points by hitting the opponent’s marbles. However, there are different rules and it changes with the people. But the general rule is that you draw a circle and dig a shallow hole. One player tries to shoot marbles to knock others outside the circle. If the player succeeds in doing so, he wins and gets the marble which he knocked out of the circle. The player with the most number of marble wins the game.
2.Gatti
Gatti is played with five small stones and the player tosses the stone in the air and tries to catch the stone while picking up the remaining stones from the ground. The game has different levels ranging from easy to difficult. The easiest is to pick one gatti when the other gatti is in the air. As the game progress, players need to make use of both hands where another hand is used to make a cave, gateway and toss it on the other hand where all five stones are in the air and have to catch all of it.
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3.Bagh Chal
Bagchaal is a strategic game like chess. It requires a board with different sets to lines to indicate the placement of pieces and legal moves. The game is played between two players and they begin by choosing their side, either Bagh (tiger) or goat. The four tiger start play in the four corners of the board whereas the other player place 20 goats scattered in other places leaving one space open for movement.Tiger capture goats by jumping over the goat.The goat block tiger by surrounding them in a way they can’t move. The game ends when all the goats are captured or all the tigers are blocked.
4.Chungi
Chungi is a game where rubbers are tied together and played by bouncing it on the leg without dropping it. The rule of chungi is simple, Just don’t drop chungi . The one who is able to bounce chungi for a long time wins the game. Usually, the players count on how many times the chungi has been bounced and set the standard. Suppose the standard is 100 times and the player who reaches the goal the first wins the game. It can be played in a group or played individually.
5.Piya/Dhyakki
Piya/Dhyakki is the game where you draw the shapes on the ground and number them. Then you toss the flat stone called Piya or dhyakki to toss into the circles. Then, the player hops through those shapes with one leg and collects the piya .If the piya is tossed outside such shapes, the player is disqualified. If the player fails to hop with one leg or touch the outline, they are disqualified.
6.Intu Mintu London ma
Intu mintu is a popular game played in childhood. The game requires more than six players. First, two people are chosen who go off in a corner to decide a name for one another. They then create a bridge by holding each other hands. The others pass underneath. The players sing ” Intu Mintu London ma, Hamro Bhai paltan ma,Ischool ko pale dai pahilo ghanti bajaideu, tinniinninininini Jhyaap ! ” and catch the one who is passing underneath. The captured player is taken to choose one of the two names given.Then, they form a team and lastly decide the winning team through the tug of war. In another variant, the one who remains the last from the jhyappa wins.
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7. Rumal lukai
Rumal lukai is a game where you form a circle and one player is given the task to hide the rumal (handkerchief) behind a player. The player goes round and round in a circle without letting others know behind whom he dropped the handkerchief. If the player doesn’t know about the handkerchief even after the player makes one round gets punishment. If he knows he goes around and repeats the same process.
8. London Stop
The game is played within a group of players. One player stands in the distance faced backward and calls L-O-N-D-O-N S-T-O-P and during that time the other walk towards that player.When the player stops rhyming and faces backward the other players should freeze and are forbidden to move. If one moves, they are disqualified.The player tries to tease the player to make them move and then goes to his/her position to call them again. The player wins if all of the other players are disqualified and the other players win if they reach the position of the player, touch him/her and successfully return to their places without being touched by the other player.
9. Bomb Blast
The bomb blast is a game played with chungi but this time chungi is not bounced in the leg but is thrown like a bomb.One person becomes the bomber and throws the chungi toward other players.The one hit by the chungi is disqualified. But if the player catches the chungi thrown by the other player, the other player gets disqualified.The game continues until the last player gets disqualified.
10. Cards game
The cards are played with the wrestling cards. The one with the powerful wrestler wins over a comparatively less powerful wrestler. The player who wins most of the cards wins the game.