Geeli Mehendi Challenge: Shaadi Kitty Party Game Rules

What do you need to play Geeli Mehendi?

• One pair of socks per player (thick woollen socks make it harder and funnier)
• One wrapped toffee per player
• One big hair clip (claw clip or banana clip) per player
• An old Housie or Tambola ticket and a pen per player
• A phone timer set to 1 minute

How to play Geeli Mehendi, step by step

1. Play in rounds of 4 ladies. Each one sits with a toffee, a hair clip, a Housie ticket and a pen in front of her.
2. Everyone pulls a sock over each hand, like gloves over wet mehendi. Fingers must stay inside the socks the whole time.
3. The host starts a 1 minute timer. Task 1: unwrap the toffee with sock hands and eat it.
4. Task 2: open the hair clip and fix it on your own dupatta or kurta so it stays without falling.
5. Task 3: pick up the pen and cross out any 3 numbers on the Housie ticket.
6. At any moment the host may shout "Mehendi kharab!": everyone freezes with palms facing up for 5 seconds, and anyone who touches anything during the freeze starts the tasks again.
7. The first lady to finish all three tasks raises her hands and wins the round. Round winners play a final.

Rules: how do you win?

• Fingers must stay inside the socks. If a finger comes out, that task must be done again.
• During the "Mehendi kharab!" freeze, anyone who touches anything starts all three tasks from the beginning.
• A dropped toffee must be picked up and eaten before the task counts, so nothing is wasted.
• The first lady to complete all three tasks in order wins; if nobody finishes in 1 minute, the one with the most tasks done wins.

Fun twists to make it crazier

• In the final, round winners wear rubber kitchen gloves over the socks.
• Tie one hand behind the back so only one 'mehendi hand' can be used.
• Play in pairs: one lady is blindfolded and does the tasks while her partner only guides with words.

Tips for the host

• Thick woollen winter socks make the game slower and much funnier.
• Use big claw or banana clips; small bobby pins are too hard and fiddly.
• Keep the freeze call random, once or twice per round, to catch people mid task.
• Ask the ladies who are waiting to record the round on their phones; the reactions are the best part.

Frequently asked questions