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Design Resource
Indian Games
Culture of Play
by
Raja, Mantri, Chor, Sipahi
Introduction:
Raja, Mantri, Chor, Sipahi (King, Minister, Thief and Police) is a wonderful four-people guessing game is where the ‘Mantri’ has to identify the ‘Chor.’ This is a popular indoor game played by 6 to 12-year-olds.
How to Play:
The game begins with making 4 chits namely Raja (1000 points), Mantri (500 points), Chor( 0 points) and Sipahi (300 points). Each chit is folded and the 4 players are asked to pick one chit. Players open their chit to find out their character. The Raja exclaims “Mera Mantri Kaun Hai?” meaning ‘Who is my Minister?’ The Mantri then has to identify the ‘Chor’ from the other 2 remaining players. If the Mantri guesses correctly then the points are retained or else he/she surrenders them to the Chor. Several rounds of this game are played before counting the points. The player with the highest score wins the game.
Variation:
An extension of this game is seen when played in larger groups. New characters are added to accommodate more players. The players predetermine the character that will have to be identified, and also the characters that would have to be revealed at the beginning of the game. The guessing game is similar to what is played with 4 people but older children increase the difficulty level of this game by including more unrevealed characters thereby making it difficult to guess.
Conclusion:
The game enhances face reading skills and helps develop cognitive thinking by requiring deductive reasoning. This entertaining game can be learned quickly and is a tool to make new friends. This game provides a platform for social interaction and enhances communication skills.
