Players: 4 or more, in two teams
Time: 20 to 40 minutes
You need: Nothing
Ages: 8 and above
Type: Party games

Who it suits and when to play

Antakshari suits any gathering that likes to sing: family evenings, bus journeys, bonfire nights, wedding functions. It works from about eight years to eighty, and it is one of the few games where grandparents usually beat the youngsters. Mixed teams of old and young are the fairest. Nobody needs a good voice; the game rewards memory, not tune.

How to play

Make two teams. Decide who begins, traditionally with the letter "M" after the opening rhyme.
The first team sings at least two lines of any song that begins with the given sound.
The last consonant sound of what they sang becomes the starting sound for the other team.
A team gets a slow count of ten to begin. If it cannot, the other team gets a point and a new letter is chosen.
A song already sung in the game cannot be sung again.
Play to ten points, or until the journey ends.

Tips and variations

On WhatsApp, play with voice notes: each team has two minutes to send its song.
Theme rounds keep it fresh: only old songs, only bhajans, only songs with a colour in them, only songs with rain.
Agree in the beginning how you will treat the sounds "ha" and "ya", which end many songs. Many families allow the team to choose the letter before.

Common problems and how to fix them

One strong singer does everything. Make it a rule that each member of a team sings in turn.
Teams argue about the last letter or sound. Name one neutral judge before the first song. The judge's ruling stands.
The same letters keep returning. Allow each team two "passes" in a game, or let the judge call a fresh letter.
People start checking phones for songs. Phones go face down in the middle until the round is over.

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Need fair teams or someone to go first? Use the team maker. See all 45 games.