Party GamesStraw and Rajma
Using only a drinking straw and their breath, players lift dry rajma (kidney beans) one by one from a plate to a bowl. No hands on the beans. Sucking a bean on to the end of a straw and carrying it without dropping it is much harder than it looks, and one minute is all it takes to find the champion.
- Ages
- 6 and up
- Players
- 4 to 20
- Time
- 5 to 10 minutes
- Place
- a table
- Energy
- quiet
- Group size
- Small group (4 to 8), Medium group (9 to 20)
- Good for
- Children, Teenagers, Adults, Elders, All ages together, Ladies' parties, Office
What you need
For each player: one straw, a plate with about twenty dry rajma or chana, an empty bowl. A timer.
How to play
- Seat the players at a table, each with a plate of beans, an empty bowl a hand's width away, and a straw.
- On "Go", each player sucks through the straw to hold a bean against its end, carries it over the bowl and stops sucking to drop it in.
- Hands may hold the straw and nothing else.
- A bean that falls on the table stays there.
- Stop after one minute.
Who wins
The player with the most beans in the bowl wins.
Variations and tips
- Harder: use tiny grains such as moong, or flat things such as bindis and paper dots.
- Relay: teams of four, each member moves five beans and passes the turn on.
- Chopsticks version: pencils or ice-cream sticks in place of straws.
Safety and kindness
Use beans that are too big to pass through the straw, so that nothing can be swallowed by accident, and give every player a fresh straw. Paper straws are kinder to the environment; check that they are stiff enough. Not for children under five.
Common problems and how to fix them
- Players tip the plate into the bowl. Plates may not be touched.
- Too easy for the adults. Make them use the weaker hand, or move the bowl to arm's length.
Party plans that use this game
Host tools
Time the round with the party timer, make chits or random teams with the chit maker, and keep the points on the scoreboard.
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- Raja Mantri Chor Sipahi 15 to 20 min
- Chidiya Ud 5 to 10 min
- Poshampa 10 to 15 min
- Kokla Chhapaki 10 to 15 min
- Dog and the Bone 15 min
- Aankh Micholi (Blind Man's Buff) 10 to 15 min
See all 29 party games.