Click, shuffle, connect

Mahjong is bringing strategy, laughter, and social rituals back to the table

- Anjali Kochhar

The sharp click of ivory-toned tiles, the quiet shuffle, the rising laughter; Mahjong is suddenly everywhere. From Delhi's private drawing rooms to Mumbai's lounges, from Bengaluru cafés to expat circles in Hyderabad and even digital WhatsApp groups connecting across continents, the centuries-old game is enjoying a revival.

For the uninitiated, Mahjong is a four-player game of skill and strategy that originated in China during the Qing dynasty in the 19th century. The word itself means "sparrow," named for the bird-like chatter of tiles clattering on the table. Traditionally played with 144 tiles marked in suits and symbols, the objective is deceptively simple: build a winning hand before your opponents do. In reality, it demands razor-sharp memory, attention to detail, and strategic foresight, skills that have kept generations hooked.

Its longevity is no accident. Mahjong has travelled across borders, carried by Asian diaspora communities and adapted into Japanese, American, and even online variants. In India, it quietly thrived in family homes—grandparents passing it down to grandchildren, often during festivals or lazy Sunday afternoons. The game is now cutting across age groups and geographies, reimagined as a social and lifestyle trend.

Social glue
"I had heard a lot about the game since my mother had bought a set 50 years ago," recalls Sheetal Patel, co-founder of Let's Mahjong. "Once tried, forever hooked!" Her group now organises sessions in restaurants and lounges. "We realised people aren't just coming to play the game strictly in isolation. They're enjoying the movement of playing it with each other on a social level, too."

That social element is at the heart of Mahjong's resurgence. Patel explains that people are finding in it a space to make what she calls "marginal friends", acquaintances who may not be part of one's inner circle but become companions through the game.