There was a time in Kashmir when childhood unfolded in open courtyards, narrow lanes, and under the shade of chinar trees. Play did not require batteries or screens; it needed only imagination, companionship, and the land itself. Stones, chalk lines, ropes, rags, and wooden toys formed the foundation of games that shaped generations of Kashmiri children.
These traditional games were not merely entertainment. They were informal schools of life—teaching balance, patience, cooperation, resilience, creativity, and community bonding. Today, many of these games are fading from everyday life, remembered mostly by elders and preserved in fragments of memory. Yet they remain an essential part of Kashmir’s cultural heritage.
This article documents and reflects on the most prominent traditional games played in Kashmir, their cultural significance, and the urgent need to preserve them.
Saz Loung: The Heart of Kashmiri Play
Among all traditional Kashmiri games, Saz Loung stands out as the most iconic. It is Kashmir’s distinctive version of hopscotch, drawn carefully on the ground with chalk or stone. What makes Saz Loung unique is not just its structure, but the local names assigned to each section of the playing court.
The boxes are traditionally called Awwal, Doum, Soum, Jehnum, Jannat, Samandar, and a final small box often referred to as the Queen. Children throw a small stone or marker into the boxes one by one and hop across the grid on a single foot, maintaining balance while avoiding the lines. Touching a line or losing balance results in a turn being forfeited.
Saz Loung was played equally by boys and girls, making it one of the most inclusive games of Kashmiri childhood. It required no equipment, no money, and no supervision—only skill and concentration. In many ways, it symbolized the simplicity and fairness of traditional Kashmiri life.
Baante Zaar: Marbles and the Art of Precision
Baante Zaar, the Kashmiri marble game, was once a prized childhood pursuit. Children carried marbles in their pockets like treasures, often trading them or competing for them. Games were played in small circles drawn on the ground or around shallow pits dug into the soil.
Using a flick of the thumb, players aimed to strike opponents’ marbles while protecting their own. Success required patience, sharp eyesight, and precise judgment of angles and force. Winning marbles was a matter of pride, and skilled players earned respect among their peers.
Beyond competition, Baante Zaar fostered negotiation, discipline, and emotional control—lessons learned naturally, without instruction.
Garam or Santooli: Speed, Strategy, and Team Spirit
Garam, also known as Santooli, was one of the most energetic outdoor games played in Kashmir. It involved chasing, tagging, and strategic movement within defined spaces. In some versions, stones were stacked into a small tower that one team attempted to knock down while the other defended it.
Once the tower fell, the attackers raced to rebuild it while defenders tried to tag them. The game was fast, loud, and full of excitement. It demanded teamwork, coordination, courage, and split-second decision-making.
Played mostly in open fields, orchards, and school grounds, Garam brought entire neighbourhoods together. It was common for children of different ages to play together, learning leadership and cooperation along the way.
Alongside team-based outdoor games, Kashmiri children also engaged in skill-driven games that rewarded precision and technique.
Latkinj Lotte: A Kashmiri Expression of Gilli Danda
Latkinj Lotte was Kashmir’s local variation of the traditional gilli danda game. Using two wooden sticks—one long and one short—players would strike the smaller stick into the air and hit it again to send it flying.
The game required precision, timing, and spatial judgment. Often played in open fields or village spaces, Latkinj Lotte was both competitive and skill-based, rewarding technique over brute strength.
This game demonstrates how broader subcontinental folk traditions were adapted to Kashmiri contexts, acquiring local names and styles while retaining their core mechanics.
Dajji Ball: Creativity Born from Scarcity
Before store-bought footballs became common, Kashmiri children invented their own ball—Dajji Ball. Made by tightly wrapping old clothes or rug pieces and tying them with string, the Dajji Ball became the centre of countless games.
It was used for improvised football, passing games, throwing challenges, and even indoor play during harsh winters. Soft yet durable, it was safe to use in narrow lanes and courtyards.
Dajji Ball represents the ingenuity of Kashmiri childhood—where lack of resources never limited joy. It taught children how to create rather than consume.
Joutas: Laughter Behind the Blindfold
Joutas was a blindfold game played during family gatherings, weddings, and relaxed evenings. One child was blindfolded while others moved around, teasing and tapping lightly, trying to avoid being caught.
The blindfolded player relied on sound and instinct to catch someone, while others attempted to stay silent or mislead them. The game usually ended in uncontrollable laughter.
Joutas strengthened sensory awareness and reflexes, but more importantly, it nurtured social closeness. It was a game without winners or losers—only shared joy.
Chourei Tchape or Hide-and-Seek
Kashmiri versions of hide-and-seek, commonly known as Chourei or Tchape, were deeply shaped by local architecture and landscape. Mud houses, wooden staircases, haystacks, orchards, and narrow alleys became hiding places.
Each locality had its own rules and chants, passed orally from older children to younger ones. The game encouraged spatial awareness, strategy, and patience, turning everyday surroundings into adventure spaces.
Hatti Hatti: Play Rooted in Nature
Hatti Hatti was an outdoor chasing game commonly played among girls. Several trees served as “safe points,” and as long as a player remained in contact with a tree, she could not be caught. The chaser attempted to tag players as they moved between trees.
The game required speed, coordination, and strategic movement. More importantly, it integrated the natural environment directly into play, turning orchards and open landscapes into interactive spaces.
Hatti Hatti reflects a childhood deeply connected to nature, where trees, land, and movement formed the foundation of play rather than artificial boundaries or equipment.
Rassi Tappa and Spinning Tops
Rassi Tappa, or rope skipping, was widely played, especially by girls. Accompanied by rhythmic counting or local rhymes, it improved coordination and stamina.
Wooden spinning tops, often handmade by local carpenters, were another childhood staple. Children competed to keep their tops spinning the longest or knock others out of play. These toys were simple yet beautifully crafted, reflecting Kashmir’s artisan culture.
Winter Games: When Snow Became a Playground
Kashmir’s long winters shaped seasonal games unique to the region. Children slid on snow using wooden planks, tin sheets, or homemade sleds. Snowball fights, ice-path races, and snow-fort building were common in villages.
Winter did not confine children indoors; instead, it transformed the environment into a new kind of playground.
When snow confined movement and evenings grew long, play moved indoors, adapting to limited space and light.
Teenkan: Skill, Patience, and Candlelit Evenings
Teenkan was a popular indoor game, especially during winter nights and frequent power cuts. Played with five small stones, the game required players to balance the stones on the back of the hand and flip them into the air, catching them again without letting any fall.
What appeared simple demanded exceptional hand–eye coordination, patience, and focus. Each round increased in difficulty, turning Teenkan into a quiet test of skill rather than speed. Played by candlelight, often in close family settings, it reflected how Kashmiri children adapted play to confined spaces and long winter evenings.
Teenkan exemplified mental discipline and dexterity, offering entertainment without noise or competition, and reinforcing calm concentration as a valued trait.
Not all indoor games, however, were quiet or contemplative.
Koone Koone: Reflexes Within Four Walls
Koone Koone was a lively indoor game typically played by five participants. Four players occupied the corners of a room, while the fifth stood in the center. At unpredictable moments, the corner players would exchange places, and the central player attempted to occupy a vacant corner.
Success depended on sharp reflexes, anticipation, and timing. The game transformed ordinary rooms into dynamic play spaces, making use of Kashmiri home architecture with its defined corners and open interiors.
Koone Koone encouraged alertness and strategic thinking, while also reinforcing social interaction and shared laughter in close-knit family environments.
The Rhythms of Play: Chants and Rhymes
In Kashmir, traditional games were rarely played in silence. They were accompanied by a rich oral tradition of rhymes, chants, and nonsense verses that dictated the pace of the game or decided who would start. These rhymes, passed down through centuries, are a blend of ancient folklore, rhythmic nonsense, and linguistic heritage.
1. The Decision Maker: Aario Mario Taario Tich
Before any game of Saz Loung or Garam could begin, the "toss" was decided through a hand-flipping ritual. Children would chant:
"Aario Mario Taario Tich!"
On the word "Tich," everyone would flip their hands to show either the palm or the back. The odd one out was either "in" or "out," depending on the agreed-upon rule. This simple chant acted as the democratic foundation of every street game.
2. The Universal Nursery Rhyme: Hukus Bukus
Perhaps the most famous rhyme in all of Kashmir, Hukus Bukus was often used as a finger-counting game for toddlers or as a rhythmic accompaniment to indoor play. While it sounds like a simple nursery rhyme, it contains deep philosophical roots:
" Hukus bukus telli wannu kus...
Onum batuk lodum deag..."
This chant helped children develop a sense of meter and rhythm, turning a simple gathering into a synchronized performance.
3. Skipping Rhythms: Kati-Nyul and Counting
During Rassi Tappa (rope skipping), the rhythm of the jumping feet was matched by quick-fire counting or call-and-response rhymes. If a jumper tripped, the rhyme stopped, and the turn was over. These chants weren't just for fun; they were a way to measure stamina and focus.
4. The Taunts of Joutas: In games like Joutas (Blind Man's Buff), the players surrounding the blindfolded child would often use rhythmic clapping and short, teasing phrases like:
These chants served a functional purpose—they provided the "sound cues" the blindfolded player needed to navigate and catch their friends.
Why the Rhymes Matter
These verses are more than just "filler" for games. They are:
Linguistic Anchors: They keep the Kashmiri language (Koshur) alive in the mouths of the younger generation.
Social Bonds: Sharing a rhyme creates an instant sense of belonging among children who may not even know each other's names.
Memory Aids: The rhythmic nature of these chants helped children remember complex rules and turn-taking orders without the need for a written rulebook.
Cultural Significance of Kashmiri Games
Traditional Kashmiri games served vital social and developmental roles:
They promoted physical health and coordination.
They taught cooperation, patience, and resilience.
They strengthened community bonds.
They preserved local language and expressions.
They connected children to nature and seasons.
These games were informal systems of education, passed naturally from one generation to the next.
Why These Games Are Disappearing
Several factors have contributed to their decline:
Digital entertainment replacing outdoor play.
Urbanization reducing open spaces.
Increased academic pressure.
Safety concerns limiting unsupervised play.
Loss of intergenerational transmission.
As a result, many children today grow up unaware of these traditions.
The Need for Preservation and Revival
Reviving traditional Kashmiri games is not an act of nostalgia—it is an investment in cultural continuity and child development. Schools, communities, and families can play a role by reintroducing these games through cultural programs, festivals, and education.
Documentation, storytelling, and simple community initiatives can ensure that these games are not lost to time.
The traditional games of Kashmir are living expressions of the valley’s identity. They remind us of a childhood rooted in simplicity, imagination, and togetherness. In preserving these games, we preserve a way of life that valued human connection over distraction.
The playgrounds may have changed, but the spirit of Kashmiri play still waits to be rediscovered—drawn in chalk on a quiet courtyard, flicked from a child’s thumb, or echoed in laughter behind a blindfold.
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Jammu & Kashmir