On a Monday evening in the upstairs room of Dishoom Permit Room in Notting Hill, the atmosphere crackles before the games night begins. Chai is poured and passed around, chalk is dusted across wooden boards, and the sharp click of counters striking the surface cuts through the noise of conversation. At one table, Uneeb Khalid, 39, and his friend Varun Solan, 43, discuss artificial intelligence while flicking small counters across a wooden board. Later, they reach the final round and finish in second place.
Carrom: A Centuries-Old Game Finds New Life
Carrom is a board game that originated in south Asia, often described as playing pool with your fingers and compared to draughts. Players flick a striker to pocket small counters into corner pockets, aiming to clear their pieces before their opponent. The game has been played for generations across south Asia and within the diaspora, and is now at the center of a growing grassroots revival in the UK.
Abdus Khan and the Karrom Community
Behind this resurgence is Abdus Khan, 31, founder of Karrom, a community built around the game that has grown to about 12,000 people in the UK. Demand for events has surged. For one night alone, 800 people tried to buy tickets, but only 44 secured a place. A recent superleague tournament at Boxpark Wembley drew 600 people, including players and spectators, in what Khan hopes will be the start of a recurring circuit.
Khan traces the appeal to his first memory of visiting family in Bangladesh as a child. "It was the first time I played carrom and one of the most fun experiences that I ever had as a child," he says. His family later brought that exact board, which he still owns today, to the UK. "It's synonymous to some of the most cherished memories that I've ever experienced. At the centre of all that happiness, laughter and community was that board."
Community and Connection
While carrom's origins are widely disputed across India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and even Yemen, Khan says the game has always meant more than geography. "It's a great celebration of bridging communities and cultures, and bringing people together."
That sense of connection is visible at the games night. Uneeb, who first learned to play from his grandmother, says this revival was surprising. "I thought it was dying a slow death. I would have thought pool would be more popular with the younger generation. I'm pleased to see so many young people interested. It's a refreshing change from our screens."
Zara Chechi, 29, first came across the community on Instagram last autumn. "A lot of us miss the community aspect of going to people's houses, being around multigenerational families," she says. She used social media to find events and like-minded people she wants to connect with in person rather than online.
For Ala El-Kurd, 30, who first played carrom at a tournament at Boxpark Wembley and came to the games night alone, the appeal lies in its accessibility. "The barrier to entry is just 'can you show up and play?'" He also describes a wider shift in behavior among young people. "Less people are drinking nowadays, people are tired of endlessly scrolling social media. People crave friendship. What's been missing in my life is a sense of community. Here, it feels so organic."
Future Ambitions
Khan now wants to reimagine the game entirely, with aims to take the superleague across the UK and the world, including San Francisco, Karachi, and Riyadh. He draws parallels between darts, football, and the Indian Premier League. "There's no reason a game with such a global footprint and history can't be reimagined."
For now, the focus remains on nights like this, where strangers of all backgrounds and ages are brought together for friendly competition. The boards are cleared, biryani and chai are served, and the initial strangers continue conversation. "People just want to come together and have a good time," Khan says. "In a fragmented world, we need some unity."
