IMA ReCREATION - Reviving Indian Traditional Games

By BWA Envoy
March 16, 2022
2 Minutes Read

In May 2014, Immaculate Antony, a techie with over 20 years of experience working in reputed software companies decided to start a company to revive traditional board games. After her father’s unfortunate demise in 2015, Immaculate Anthony wanted to focus on things that mattered the most and started this initiative to bring back people to the olden golden value system through games.

She started Ima recreation (@Ima recreation) as a summer camp for playschool children using only a few south Indian traditional games. Inspired by its effect on children and demand by parents (a healthier alternative to screen time), she continued researching and reviving more Indian traditional games. This involved documenting rules, developing variations of playing these games to suit different cultures, and designing the game board and toys. With more research and witnessing its impact on the players, it became clear to Immaculate that these games were treasure troves that needed to be revived and passed on to the next generation. According to Immaculate Anthony, “It is not only about recreating traditional games, but also about building a healthy and happy society, by inculcating value systems, encouraging overall development of body and mind and relationship building and bonding”.

Over the last eight years, Ima reCreation has recreated 150+ traditional games involving local artisans. During the lockdown, Ima reCreation researched and found 1000s of ancient games from various sources and online research documents since 1881. Her research involved pouring through rare books and games from the 5000- year-old Mayan / Aztec society.

Ima reCreation has been propagating these traditional games by conducting workshops for people of all ages and abilities. In the past few years, it has contributed significantly by taking these games as character-building tools to children, developing strategic skills for corporates, and as a tool to bond across generations in events and functions, all while having only pure fun and making memories. The local artisans make these games and toys using wooden boards, cloth boards, and non-toxic colours.

Ima reCreation received Women Entrepreneurship Award 2021 from the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka (AWAKE) for its contributions in Recreation to the games for Schools, Colleges, and Corporates.