A game, a journey, and a realisation
On a recent visit to a museum, I saw a small placard advertising the sale of a board of Parama Padam. It is the traditional version of Snakes and Ladders, and contrary to popular belief, it is not merely an Indian name for the game. The traditional game had virtues associated with the ladders and names of characters from mythology and folklore for the snakes who in turn represented vices. The game itself was a representation of our journey to self-development, our internal struggle to overcome vices, acquire virtues, and ascend to Parama Padam or the highest place. The game was known by many similar names such as Moksha Path, Gyan Path and Vaikunta Pali. The origins of the game are hazy, with some ascribing it to Saint Gyandev of the Bhakthi movement and many others to the Jains, who perhaps developed it as a way to teach Jain philosophy. The essence of the game though, is common across all versions of the game the good is within us, the evil is within us, and the struggle is within us. This game, over the years, has become a metaphor for learning in a number of variations. From versions on healthy eating, to environment consciousness, to executive development, I have seen dozens of versions created by using this game. I picked up the Parama Padam at the museum, hoping to see an original board, but I was disappointed. What was being sold was not a very faithful rendering of the game. Virtues and vices sprinkled the board, and the graphics gave it a sense of authenticity. However, where this board, like many others, failed, is to understand the nuance of the game. The beauty of the traditional board was that vices were not merely listed but inferred through characters from mythology and folklore, with many old boards having localised characters. What this essentially did was create a sense of the human the sense that vices are inherently present in humans and not on their own. These humans are sometimes good people who do good deeds and are deeply loved and respected, yet they have within them a fatal flaw that keeps them short of achieving Parama Padam or the highest place. There is a Greek word hamartia first used by Aristotle in his Poetics and now, in dramatic literature to refer to the protagonists error that leads to a chain of actions which culminate in a reversal of events leading to his downfall. Shakespeare made very effective use of these in his tragic plays from Hamlets indecisiveness to Macbeths ambition, and Othellos jealousy among the others. What this does is change the narrative. The characters from mythology portrayed in Parama Padam cease to be merely good or evil and become flawed human beings, thus accepting and reinforcing the shades of grey. It teaches us to see people not in black and white but to accept them with their flaws because we, too are deeply flawed, as are all human beings. The journey to Parama Padam now becomes not merely a journey of self-development, but also one of acceptance and tolerance and forgiveness. Sadly, modern boards miss this nuance and thus the very essence of the game a learning that is critical to us in todays day and age, where we are quick to fault and make it almost a mission to spot flaws in everything around us. To further explain this, quote the words of Stephen Hawking, Without imperfection, you or I would not exist.
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