Help on board

Ronak Chitalia started hosting board-game sessions on Zoom. Pic/Sameer Markande

The pandemic didn't just take a toll on people's physical health. It created a mental health crisis as well, with feelings of isolation and anxiety taking over. Board games were an avenue that helped overcome this problem. And Ronak Chitalia is one person who took it upon himself to use them as a tool that helped connect with each other during this period.

Founder of board games-centric eatery Chai and Games, he started two things during the lockdown. One was a YouTube channel where he explains how different board games are played. "I started this in July last year. There are thousands of such online tutorials, but I haven't come across any that feature an Indian content creator. So, I tried to explain games to Indian audiences in a way that they could understand," the 29-year-old says.

The other thing Chitalia did was to start hosting games for families and corporate houses over Zoom calls. He devised a set of games himself, borrowing ideas from existing ones. "The main essence I followed is social interaction. The games are not overtly competitive. Some are based on words and others on storytelling, where people have to build on stories that a player creates," he explains.

Both these activities opened up a new avenue for the Vile Parle resident. "International publishers of these games, who were finding it hard to penetrate the Indian market, now approach me to help them market their products," he says.

Log on to: Chai & Games on YouTube