The ancient game that saved an Indian village

When we see a black-and-white squared board with plastic representation of mythical characters like knights, bishops, pawns, instantly it hits us a very popular but sometimes a boring game: chess.

News Deskbdnews24.com
Published : 21 May 2017, 10:31 AM
Updated : 21 May 2017, 11:33 AM

It is actually a two-player strategy board game played on a chessboard, a chequered game board with 64 squares arranged in an 8x8 grid.

Why is it boring? Because one has to think strategically, rethinking what the opponent is thinking and how to beat him. Most people find that whole process time-consuming and boring. Yet, the game is played by millions of people worldwide, but why?

This game has a deep connection to our real life where we put every step forward to reach a destination. It can make people think positively, mathematically and that can change a life.

Just the same thing happened to a very unpopular village of India, Marottichal. A small village in northern Kerala where people were consumed by alcoholism and illicit gambling 50 years ago; the people were indulged in these illicit activities just to pass time. And now, the scenario has changed completely and that happened because of a man and a game -- chess.

The man developed a zeal for chess while living in the nearby town of Kallur. Named Unnikrishnan, he moved back to his afflicted and dark hometown, Marottichal, and opened a teashop. Seeing the dark shadow overpowering the village he started teaching customers to play chess as a healthier way to pass the time.

And the magic happened. Suddenly, that boring game became so popular among the people that they forgot to drink alcohol, play gamble. The ancient game which is believed to have originated in India in the sixth century changed not only one man’s life but the whole village.

The village was once visited by Jack Palfrey who entered the teashop with green paint on the walls. A very raw type of shop which wouldn’t even cross anyone’s mind that how a simple teashop owner changed so many lives. That shop was once a rowdy bar or a beer shop but he changed it to a place where people pass their time playing chess and drinking tea.

Unnikrishnan, the teashop's owner, is a very simple man with dark eyes and callous hand but with an intimidating mind and grin smile. He made an impossible job possible, changed the villager’s dark habit and made them strategic in real life. The village has a chess association.

“In other Indian villages, perhaps the maximum number of people that know chess is less than 50,” said Baby John, president of the Chess Association of Marottichal. “Here 4,000 of the 6,000 population are playing chess, almost daily”.

“And it is all thanks to this wonderful man,” he added, gesturing to Unnikrishnan.

Baby John lastly made a joke, “Luckily for us chess is more addictive than alcohol”, giving a funny smile on his face.

Not only the game removed the addiction of alcohol and gambling, it also changed the village’s identity.

“Chess improves concentration, builds character and creates community,” said Baby John. “We don’t watch television here; we play chess and talk to each other.”

So it seems, a simple game turned a whole village from isolated to a greater community where people have great relationship with each other. Even the children have found chess the main source of entertainment.

Jack Palfrey was so amazed to see that in a country undergoing rapid digitalisation, fanning wide-spread fears about Indian youth becoming disconnected from their country and culture, it was strange to hear two children talk so enthusiastically about a 1,000-year-old board game that’s interwoven into India’s history. Surely they would prefer to be watching television but they were not.

Moving a little forward to the village, Palfrey found some youth with mobile on hand, but surprisingly they were not watching movies or porn, they were playing chess online. Unnikrishnan gave one last smile to him.

And that was the checkmate. A one-man army and chess as a weapon, he has changed the whole village.

The article is written with details from a BBC story on travel.