Friday, August 26 2005 11:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ahmedabad: They may not be the ideal match for a "great gambler" but during the festive season of 'Janamashtami' Gujarati women get geared up to drop kitchen work and pick up a deck of cards to keep up an age-old tradition.

Though gambling is largely considered a vice, women do not mind shuffling cards, placing bets and even losing some money when playing with the entire family while celebrating the festival that marks Lord Krishna's birth.

The exact history of the tradition of women playing cards along with men and other family members during this festival is not known but sociologists in the city say the custom may have begun in the joint family system as a pass-time for women who used to observe fast throughout the night and needed to keep themselves awake and occupied.

Women eat cold food (prepared two days in advance) a day before 'Janamashthami' and fast on the night when, as per mythology, Krishna was born.

Premlata Shah (54), a housewife in a joint family, says she cannot imagine celebrating 'Janamashtami' without playing cards with the family and placing a few bets.

Moreover, these two days women virtually drop the utensils by cooking in advance so that the spirit of the game is not affected.

"Judgement, Poker, Teen Patti, Rummy, Grim, Satiyo, Jhabbo are some of the games that we women play with the family. Of course, no serious betting takes place but a little bit of money changing hands is ok," says the housewife who also makes elaborate arrangements for cuisine two days earlier to ensure a non-stop and smooth card playing session.

The housewife said as per her knowledge initially women in Ahmedabad used to play card games like Judgement and Satyo but the influence of Mumbai introduced the highly addictive Teen Patti, Flash and Rummy.

Even modern Gujarati woman or 'bahu' (daughter-in-law) has not discarded the tradition for kitty parties and women's gatherings and most women prefer to keep the "family card game" very much alive.

Simran Patel (28), married to a prominent Patel community joint family in the city, says her family used to follow the tradition even when she was a child and she has tried to keep it alive in her husband's house also.

"As a child, I have seen how women involve themselves in card playing and how it keeps the family together. On 'Janamashthami', women also decorate Lord Krishna's idol and await the time of his birth by playing cards and having fun," said Simran.