How mobile games have become a means of protest against power crisis in Keralam

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Screenshots of Pookki.online | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

How quickly can you light the candles after power goes out in your household? Or how precisely can you swat mosquitoes in the flickering glow of a candle?

As erratic power curbs due to an ongoing power crisis in Keralam continue, innovative protest methods, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s youth organisations, such as games, memes and AI videos, have sparked a conversation.

Particularly, two web-based games, namely Indira Cut and Pookki.online, released over the recent weeks, have been gaining traction online. Indira Cut, developed by Palakkad-based Favas Kinan for the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) Palakkad District Committee and Pookki.online, co-created by New Zealand-based Sikhin S. and Mr. Kinan, take shots at the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government and Keralam Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan.

While Indira Cut takes a dig at Indira Guarantee, the five welfare promises made by the the UDF during the 2026 Kerala State Assembly election campaign, the name Pookki.online refers to an Internet moniker given to Mr. Satheesan.

“The idea came from recent discussions and frustration surrounding power cuts in Keralam. Since games are an easy and engaging way to communicate an idea, I thought of turning the situation into a simple interactive experience rather than creating another regular poster or social media post,” said Mr. Sikhin, a member of the DYFI Ernakulam District Committee.

In Indira Cut, the player’s objective is to kill as many mosquitoes as they can before the insects fall into the flickering candle. Players should keep the candles lit to keep playing and earn more points. The game, released on September 13, 2026, has gotten over 9,52,000 unique players, according to Mr. Kinan, also the DYFI Professional Subcommittee Palakkad convener.

In Pookki.online, a candle and a match are hidden separately behind two tiles in a 56-tile grid. The game’s objective is to find them both before 18 seconds, when the power goes out. High scores are assigned depending on how fast players find the objects. The game, released on September 14, has received over 20,000 site views.

Mr. Sikhin said: “the intention was to use humour and interaction to reflect something people are currently experiencing in their everyday life. When people play the game, they can immediately relate the concept to the real situation, which makes the message more memorable.”

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