A new game for blind to master

While the visually challenged are rest­ricted to a few games like cricket and chess, those like Nagaraj are eagerly looking forward to have a go at carr­om.

“Of course, I know the blind could play cricket with a spec­ially designed balls and jangles as it moves. With an accessible carrom board, I am eager to master this game,” Nagaraj, a resident of Devnar Foundation for the Blind (DFFTB) in Begumpet here said.

Students of the Foundation had been given a trial of the accessible carrom board game, which has been designed and formulated by the National Institute of the Visually Handicapped (NIVH), headquartered in Dehradun.

Abandoning the traditional four-hole board, the new one will have 21 holes one in each corner, one at the centre, and four forming a square around it. The game is played with a C-stopper, which will be fixed behind one of the 21 holes. Using a crescent-sh­aped striker, the player can put any coin into the hole.

The stopper with pins below can be fixed into the three pinh­o­les around the pocket-hole. Using his tactile sense, the pl­ayer can feel the holder with one hand and strike with the other to direct the coin. The po­cket holes are fixed with steel cups allowing the players to get the clinking sound once the coin drops.

The new board comes with a new set of rules. Each player will have 10 coins, including the red one. The opponent will choose one hole on his side of the board into which the striker has to hit his coin.

Whoever is the first to exhaust all the coins will win the game. Players can also discern white coins from the black based on their thickness, while the red coin would hear a cut on the edge. The striker's reference line is indented to position  the striker correctly.

Dr Milan Dass, a senior research officer of NIVH, who designed the board said the game has been formulated keeping in mind limitations of persons with vision challenged.

“The bulk production of the board will soon begin in New Delhi,” he added.  Students here can’t wait any longer. “The new board came here four days and we are all hooked to it. I never played regular carroms nor saw one so could not say how improved it is, but sure that I will beat all my classmates in this game,” 14-year-year old Parveen of DFFTB said.