Singing in turns: The A-Z of Antaakshari

Also known arsenic antyakshari, it is simply a crippled which involves 1 squad (or player) singing a opus that starts with the past missive of the erstwhile song. This crippled challenges your representation of songs, melody, and however rapidly you tin respond. This has been played crossed generations successful India — from the king’s courts to modern-day surviving rooms.

The word comes from the Sanskrit presumption antya meaning ‘end’ and akshara meaning ‘letter’. When these words are combined and an ‘-i’ suffixed, the word translates to “The crippled of the ending letter”.

Antaakshari traces its roots to the Ramayana, wherever the rishis sang the archetypal verses of bhajans (devotional songs), which ended with the past missive of the ending connection of the erstwhile bhajan. The ‘game’ yet became a celebrated household pastime.

It aboriginal became much mainstream with the assistance of the Srilankan Tamil vigor channels. This contented was followed by much Bombay based vigor and TV anchors. Now determination are galore TV shows based connected the crippled each implicit India, and has been popularised successful galore languages crossed the country.

A Hindi-language amusement of the aforesaid sanction ran successfully connected Zee TV for much than 10 years consecutive (from 1993 to 2007). It was hosted by actor, manager and vigor jockey, Annu Kapoor, and galore different hosts specified arsenic actresses Pallavi Joshi, Durga Jasraj, Renuka Shahane, and the noted playback vocalist Richa Sharma.

Gameplay explained

The crippled tin beryllium played by 2 oregon much radical oregon teams. It opens with a rhyme,

Baithe, baithe, kya kare? Karna hai kuch kam, Shuru karo antaakshari, leke Prabhu ka nam!

(Sitting present each bored, what bash we do? Let’s instrumentality the sanction of the Lord and commencement a crippled of Antaakshari)

From here, the crippled is kicked disconnected with the ‘m’ sound. The archetypal vocalist has to sing 2 implicit lines of a opus (or a full stanza) which begins with that ‘m’ sound, and whitethorn halt astatine the end. The past missive of the past connection is passed connected to the adjacent team, and the rhythm continues. The winner(s) are decided by a process of elimination. The idiosyncratic oregon squad that cannot travel up with a opus with the close consonant is eliminated if their opponents tin nutrient specified a song.

But, here’s immoderate different things to remember:

- Only Bollywood songs are allowed by default. Regional songs tin beryllium allowed with anterior agreement.

- No opus tin beryllium repeated much than once

- Sing up to astatine slightest a stanza of the song

Impact

Antaakshari has acted arsenic a societal catalyst, breaking barriers of age, language, and region. It fostered camaraderie and brought families unneurotic for each occasion. It has besides been a mean for passing down the emotion for euphony and taste traditions down for generations.

In fact, during the pandemic, radical played Antaakshari portion locked distant successful their homes, either singing songs by the balcony, oregon connected video call.

Antaakshari has been known to heighten memory, cognition connected euphony and the trivia associated, and speedy and captious thinking.

Example

Here’s an illustration of the crippled for immoderate rookies who privation to get a consciousness of the game:

Kisi ki muskuraahaton pe ho nisaar,

kisika dard mil involvement to le udhaar,

kisike waaste ho tere dil mein pyaar,

Jeena isi ka naam hai.

(“Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai” from Anari)

Notice the opus begins with the ‘h’ consonant, truthful from determination the adjacent squad tin sing…

Har ghadi badal rahi hai roop zindagi,

Chhaaun hai kabhi, kabhi hai dhoop zindagi,

Har pal yahaan, jee bhar jiyo,

Jo hai sama, kal ho na ho.

(Title opus from Kal Ho Na Ho)

Antaakshari continues to beryllium a family’s favourite crossed the country. It’s much than conscionable a crippled — it’s a span betwixt generations, languages, and memories and a timeless solemnisation of music.