A World of Games in a Universe at Play: Exploring the Ludic Legacy of South Asia

Speaker: Dr Jacob Schmidt-Madsen, Acting Director, Centre for the Study of Indian Science (CSIS), University of Copenhagen

Chair: Professor Kenneth G. Zysk, Professor Emeritus, Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen

Jacob Schmidt-Madsen has studied the history of traditional South Asian games, with special emphasis on the interactions between games, ritual, and divination. He has written extensively on the games of chaupar (ludo) and gyan chaupar (snakes and ladders).

The history of games in South Asia goes back to the Indus Valley Civilization in the 3rd millennium BCE. This talk invites you on a tour of that history, stopping at classic games such as chess, chaupar, and backgammon.

Organised by IIC-International Research Division with the support of Ministry of External Affairs