Narrator: It takes 15 craftsmen to turn wood slabs
into a tabletop game known as carrom.
And workers decorate these boards by hand
with oil paint and watercolors.
The indoor tabletop game is a favorite
for millions across South Asia.
Narrator: We visited one factory in Sialkot, Pakistan,
to see how it makes over 2,500 boards a month.
Shoaib Ali's workshop uses chinar,
a hardwood that comes from northern Pakistan.
It's dried and seasoned here for six months.
Narrator: Almost everything here is done
using old-school tools,
like shears and a hammer, or by hand.
First, craftsmen build the frame of the board.
Later, workers sand down and polish
the interior of the plywood board several times.
That's what gives the board its smooth finish.
And finally, they screen-print the layout.
For fancier boards, everything is done by hand.
They use a compass-like tool to make intricate patterns
across the board and color them in.
It takes some workers just 15 minutes
to paint an entire board because of years of experience.
Then they apply varnish so the colors don't fade over time.
These hand-painted boards can cost almost $50,
while you can buy cheaper ones for as little as $5.
A typical carrom board is square
and measures nearly 3 feet on each side,
so it can easily fit on a table.
A powder made of boric acid keeps the board slick.
The game is similar to pool,
but players use a striker
to sink the wooden or plastic discs into the corner pockets.
Narrator: The goal is to get rid of all the discs
before your opponent.
Not much is known about carrom's exact origins.
It's said to have first been played in India
during the 18th century.
And it's popular even today,
with factories across India and Pakistan.
But Sialkot is still considered the hub,
churning out around 100,000 boards a year.
The city is known for manufacturing
other sports equipment too, like footballs and cricket bats.
Narrator: But Shoaib says
there are only five carrom board workshops left here.
Narrator: Still, Shoaib is determined
to carry on the tradition.
He's not just a manufacturer, but also a fan of the game.