LUCK BY CHANCE—Tambola man reads the numbers right

Morung Express Feature
Dimapur | December 20  

Tongpang Jamir (27) is familiar with being called ‘Tongpang Tambola’, he says, when we try to save his phone number as such at the recently concluded Dimapur Night Carnival. Over the past couple of years, he has become the face of Tambola, aka Indian Bingo or Housie, in Dimapur.  

Currently, he has set up a Tambola stall—Friend’s Tambola—at the Christmas Carnival underway at Naga Shopping Arcade from December 19-23. His fun, and mostly super fast, reading of numbers attracts a large audience, including many families, to almost every game he hosts.  

Tambola involves ticking off numbers called out by the host on specially designed Tambola sheets—the first to tick off all numbers wins the game. Tongpang buys Tambola tickets in bundles from sports shops, and provides free pens and card paper during the game. In a five hour session, people can play up to 20 games and win up to Rs. 5000-7000 depending on how many players add up. But Tongpang has his set of regulars (people from all walks of life) who do not care to win or lose but come to enjoy the game.  

Having picked up Tambola number calls from the internet, Tongpang modifies them every now and then, sending his audience into fits of giggles even as they have to stay alert to find the numbers as he quickly rolls from one to the other.  

Some of his calls include—Hitler’s eye single number one, who is she I love you number three, sabse jawan 21, buckle my shoe 32, rise and shine 49, Rising year (Nagaland) 63, husband and wife 65, Bangladesh war 71, click and click 66, no more teen 19, my lovely wife number 5.  

Tongpang, who is from Yajang village in Mokokchung, grew up with his aunt at Purana Bazaar in Dimapur. Every Christmas would see family Tambola played around a bonfire from where his attraction to the game began. One such year, he decided to host the game at home. As luck would have it, by chance, someone in the neighbourhood heard him and asked him to host a colony Tambola game. One opportunity gave way to another, and three years have gone by for Tongpang organizing public and private games, for fun or even fundraising.  

“Tambola provides clean family entertainment that can be enjoyed by all age groups together. Since I do not have a permit from the Dimapur district administration, I can work only when someone calls me for their program or during carnival times when I can rent a space for the duration and earn enough to keep me warm through Christmas and New Year,” says Tongpang.  

But competition is on the rise and profit from games has been splitting between the three game centres that have been set up at the Carnival. Tambola is Tongpang’s livelihood in an economy that offers the youth with little clean methods of earning, and without a permit, his work gains speed only in December. Rest of the year, he has to assist his brother with other works. But the Dimapur district administration has refused to provide him with a permit as the game falls under the ambit of ‘gambling.’ He attempted to set up stall at Hornbill Festival too but was denied permission.  

“The players are mostly very pleasant and no one misbehaves because you need to stay alert constantly. I could have hosted games every weekend as Dimapur has little other option for family entertainment but this is not possible without a permit. Anyway, it would be great to have a stable job to support me consistently through the year, but I would like to continue organizing Tambola till wherever it takes me,” hopes Tongpang Tambola before people start buying their little ticket of luck and skill for the evening.