January 21, 2014
University
Page 3
Alumni Spotlight
Rutgers alumna integrates South Asian culture into board game By Erin Walsh
a buzzer, pencil, timer and a rule guide, Shah said. The game also includes a set of 250 cards with Rutgers alumna Priya Shah no- 1,000 different words that teach ticed a common problem in Amer- players about South Asian culture. Each card has a main word ican board games like Taboo — immigrants whose first language on top, and the player who is not is not English cannot successfully holding a card must guess this word without using related words play them. Shah set out to find a solu- listed underneath the main word. Shah said one of the hurdles tion to this issue by creating the company Culturally In- in creating her product was deciding what needed to be includclined Productions. Shah graduated in 2011 with ed with the game and assembling degrees in both economics and the parts. “I would get my buzzer from communication. During her time one factory and at Rutgers, she order my protowas actively involved in the “The game is a mixture types from China,” Shah said. community as of words from many Shah took both a member different regions, foods, about two to of the South Asian sorority, dance styles and customs.” three weeks to receive each Kappa Phi Gamprototype, and ma, and the AsPRIYA SHAH she said she sociation of IndiCEO, Culturally Inclined Productions would have to ans at Rutgers. start the pro“I attended cess of creating many South Asian events because I was a part the game all over again after testof these groups,” Shah said. “I real- ing each prototype. Because of this process and ized that there were no games for South Asians to play, and I thought, other challenges, the game took Shah two years to complete. She ‘I need to make this happen.’” After coming up with the idea said it was released last month. Shah selected the parts and for a game that would not only entertain but also educate Indians created the design for the entire about their culture, Shah got right game, and she said she funded the project as well. to work to bring her idea to life. “I ordered 1,500 games and She named the game Desi Chaat. The word “desi” can be started selling them from my used to refer to anyone of Indian house,” Shah said. “My living decent, while the word “chaat” room looks like a warehouse can be used to describe a mixture right now.” Shah credits her parents with of many things, she said. “The game is a mixture of helping her build her company, but words from many different re- her father, Shabad Shah, said she gions, foods, dance styles and completed the project on her own. “The word selection and all the customs,” Shah said. When Shah played the game Ta- details of the game were done all boo with her parents, she realized by Priya,” he said. “It’s what she they could not successfully partici- thinks that is important. She has pate because they did not know the created a communicative tool that makes you retain new words.” terminology as well as she did. In deciding which terms Desi Chaat has a lot in common with Taboo. It comes with to include in the game, Staff Writer
Priya Shah holds a copy of Desi Chaat, a board game based on Taboo. Shah, a Rutgers alumna, created the game to teach and incorporate South Asian culture into a different format. Rutgers students can purchase the game for $27. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY YESHA CHOKSHI / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Priya Shah sat at the dinner table for hours with her parents reading them the words she had come up with, her father said. She would note how her parents would react to these words and decide which words should be included and which should not. Shah tested each word with her parents before including it in the game, but she said she wants people of all ages to play. She said she made sure the game could be fun for Indians of all ages, and one of her sorority sisters, Raji Raman, said Shah
successfully reached this goal in their community. “We’ve played the game at sorority events, and I’ve played it with my family,” said Raman. “It’s a very modern game, and I’ve even seen little kids play it with grandmothers.” Raman said the game is not a struggle, and all of the words in the game are in English, so it is easy for Indians to play even if they are not extremely in touch with their culture. With the support of Priya Shah’s sorority and the Indian community, Raman said the
game has been a great success since its release. Culturally Inclined Productions, Priya Shah’s company, sells the game for $33 on its website. But Priya Shah has included coupons for those interested in buying the game. Rutgers students can purchase the game for $27 by contacting her via the company email. “Business is going well, and I’ve received a lot of feedback that it is bringing families together,” said Priya Shah. “Being able to bring laughter to someone’s family — that’s just amazing to me.”
Meteorologists predict cold front, snow storm By Erin Petenko Associate News Editor
From left to right: Kaylin Mahoney, Sarah Mattessich and Scott Cameron, School of Engineering sophomores, moved into their dorms yesterday. Today’s forecast includes colder temperatures and a chance of snow. EDWIN GANO / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Cold weather affected many winter vacations as a polar vortex swept through the Northeast early January. Meteorologists are predicting a new cold front to hit as students go back to classes. David A. Robinson, the New Jersey state climatologist, said the weather this week would not be as freezing as the subzero temperatures earlier this month. But this front, unlike the previous one, is expected to last into February. “It will be consistently cold as opposed to what we’ve seen before,” he said. He said temperatures this week would not reach above freezing. Robinson does not predict any major storms for the week, but some meteorologists are
predicting as much as 8 inches of snow today. According to The Star-Ledger, a winter storm watch is in effect for the entire state. The snow will most likely hit today at rush hour and last until midnight. The next morning, temperatures are predicted to be in the single digits, and highs will be in the 20s for the rest of the week, according to the article. Robinson is watching the weather carefully for next week, when the Super Bowl will come to New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. According to an article in Rutgers Today, he has created the website biggameweather. com to analyze weather trends for Feb. 2. The website shows climate data for past years in East Rutherford, N.J., as well as weather maps and predictions for the day.