A Karachi-born designer draws inspiration from her own struggles to create a board game on arranged marriages, complete with Rishta Aunties and Golden Boys
Elements that make up the board game, Arranged!
ADVERTISEMENT
Growing up in a conservative home in Karachi, Nashra Balagamwala started to feel the pressure to get married when she turned 21. Her family would line up boys, hoping to find an arranged match. Her relatives would approach her with 'rishtas'. "I began to think of creative ways to seem undesirable to them. I would get a tan, be seen in public with male friends and even wear fake engagement rings. I kept negotiating with my family to buy time; I still am, and will continue till I feel ready for marriage," says the 24-year-old via email from Pakistan.
She has depicted her struggle, and that of friends "forced into loveless marriages with strangers their family picked for them", in Arranged!, her latest board game that is in the last leg of crowdfunding on Kickstarter, having achieved its goal of $6,000.
Early beginnings
The experiential designer, who was based in USA for five years until now, has studied at the reputed Rhode Island School of Design. While Balagamwala began working in the games industry two years ago, her love for board games goes back to when she was not even old enough to understand the rules.
She recollects, "I would be the banker or team up with cousins when we played Monopoly. I also began to experiment with their design at a young age. My cousin and I would buy several games, throw out the rules and create our own versions. As I grew older, I realised I was interested in the medium, and took a class on game design. I've designed games independently and worked with game design companies too." The latter includes the American firm, Hasbro.
Enter Rishta Aunty
To be played with three or four players, Arranged! features various characters — a matchmaker aka Rishta Aunty, potential suitors and teenage girls -- and a deck of cards. The former chases the girls to get them married. The girls have to try to come up with creative ways to avoid her, and a loveless marriage. These are mentioned in a deck of Girls Cards, many inspired by the ones Balagamwala used in her life.
At one point, the aunty comes across the Golden Boy that girls wish to marry, so they begin to get closer to the aunty by flaunting their talents, and saying things like 'I pray five times a day' or 'I have only female friends'. "The girls also have the chance to come across someone they would readily marry but such chances are slim, because I wanted the game to be an accurate reflection of Pakistani culture," she reasons. The game ends when all the girls are married off, either by choice or to someone chosen by the matchmaker.
The designer's earlier board games include Paltering Politicians, a role play of Pakistan's politicians
Let's talk
The idea behind creating a physical board game, instead of a digital version, was to make the experience interactive. "It provides a platform to discuss a serious topic in a lighthearted manner. The game also tackles other issues that are part of South Asian societies, like skin whitening, secret boyfriends and dowries. I hope it can become an educational experience for those who haven't dealt with arranged marriages. By learning about it, they can be better equipped to help others facing the same situation," she says, adding that several Pakistani and Indian girls have reached out to thank her for "finally speaking up about an
important issue". However, she has also received criticism from Pakistanis, who "have made it clear that I'm a disgrace because I'm bad-mouthing society".
When the campaign wraps up, the game will be available for advance orders on Balagamwala's portal. It will be printed and manufactured in Pakistan, and the shipping process (available in India too) will commence by the end of the year. "I shall donate a percentage of profits towards children's education in Pakistan," she signs off.
Log on to kickstarter.com
Cost $30 (approx '1,918)
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
