By Himadri Sharma:
India is a cradle to the earliest civilisation in the human history. There is vast and rich heritage of customs, culture and business in the nation. Sports are also an inseparable part of the Indian fabric. These are a few sports that originated in India and are a perfect recreation.
1. Dhopkhel
It is a traditional sport which has its roots in the state of Assam. It is a different form of Kabaddi but with a ball in it. Each team throws the ball into the court of other and the aim of the game is to retrieve the ball without touching the players on the opposite side.
2. Insuknawr
This sport originated in the state of Mizoram. It is a strength-based game in which the both the players try to push each other out of the ring by holding the ends of a wooden rod between them. It tests both power as well as the perseverance of the participants.
3. Kabaddi
It is a popular Indian sport and is played throughout the nation. The game is divided into two teams with each team sending the raider into the other’s area to attain points by touching the maximum number of opponent players and coming back to the centre line. It is famous in Asian nations and the Kabaddi World Cup is held regularly.
4. Kho-Kho
The sport is played in two teams of 12 players each. The teams take turns of chasing and running with two periods of nine minutes each. It is an interesting sport and is played across the nation amongst youngsters. But, the game has not acquired the much needed global platform to popularise it in other nations.
5. Ball Badminton
The game is a varied form of Badminton. It is indigenous to the nation and is played with great fervour in states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, etc. It includes the racquets being used to hit the wooden ball across the net into the opponent’s court. It is regularly contested in the National Games and needs practise and fast reflexes to excel.
6. Rural Olympics (Kila Raipur Sports Festival)
The rural games are being organised every year since 1933 in the state of Punjab. These are our very own form of Olympics – but with a twist. They include a plethora of traditional events like bullock-cart racing, horse races, stunts, etc. These reflect the local talent of the people with winners given cash prizes to awards their hard-work.
7. Wrestling
Though wrestling has been a part of the Olympics schedule since its inception, it is only the Greeco-Roman and the Freestyle formats of the game that are played at the mega event. The traditional forms of wrestling like ‘akhara wrestling’ (wrestling in a mud pit) has not attained global acceptance and is restricted to India.
These games surely deserve to be famous in our cricket-crazy nation. It would be incredible for our country if encouragement and incentives are provided to these local sports to bring out raw talent. We urge you to try out these sports and enjoy it with your friends.