At This Ludo Tournament In Bengal's North 24 Parganas, The Prize Money Was A Cow

In West Bengal an unusual Ludo tournament, drawing attention amidst the common football and cricket matches in every neighbourhood, was held recently. This event, organised by the Bankra village club in Hingalganj block of North 24 Parganas, West Bengal featured 32 teams and aimed to revive the popularity of Ludo, a game loved by all in the 1980s but overshadowed by modern electronic entertainment.

The Ludo competition, which took place next to the football ground over two days, saw a large turnout with each team registering for Rs 300 as an entry fee. The top prizes included a cow and a beautiful trophy for both the first and second-place winners, attracting local spectators and adding a unique flair to the Ludo scene in Sundarbans.

West Bengal has consistently spent 25% more time on indoor entertainment than the national average for the last four years, according to a report by Skill Online Games Institute (SOGI) prepared based on CMIE data. Sociologists and psychotherapists argued that Bengalis have always had a strong inclination towards indoor recreational activities.

According to the study, the time spent on indoor entertainment peaked in the state at 3.5 hours per day in January-April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was an overall decline in the time spent on indoor entertainment from January-April 2020 to September-December 2023, with the final figure being 1.8 hours per day.

The national average for indoor entertainment also showed a decreasing trend, but at a slower rate, starting at 2.3 hours/day in May-Aug 2020 and ending at 1.9 hours/day in Sep-Dec 2023.

By August 2023, 2.4 hours per day were spent on indoor entertainment in Bengal, compared to the national average of 2 hours. The significant peak in indoor entertainment time in Bengal was between May and August 2020, which correlates with the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Time spent with friends in Bengal was initially higher than the national average at 1.4 hours per day during the period September-December 2019.