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Bengali traditional games are traditional games that are played in rural parts of the historical region of Bengal (present-day Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal). These games are typically played outside with limited resources. Many games have similarities to other traditional South Asian games.
Some traditional Bengali games are thousands of years old and reference historical ways of life. Due to urbanization, traditional Bengali games are declining in popularity. [1] [2]
Some traditional Bengali games are thousands of years old and reference historical ways of living and historical events.[ citation needed ] For example, it is argued that some of the rhymes used to be associated with the gameplay of Gollachut, in which players run from the center of a circle towards a boundary area to be safe from opponents, may refer to escape attempts by slaves during the Indus Valley Civilisation or afterward. [3]
During the colonial era, traditional Bengali games declined in popularity, as the Bengali middle class ( Bhadralok ) began to be influenced by European sporting culture. [4]
With riverine Bangladesh's geography being dominated by the world's largest delta, the country has over 230 rivers in its terrain. The rivers have played an important role in the livelihoods of the native Bengali people.
Common in rural areas, Nouka Baich is a very old tradition of the folk Bengali culture going back centuries. Its popularity in urban areas increased in the 18th century. The various Nawab families throughout Mughal Bengal were also known for organising races and the use of Sari gan started to become more popular.
Nouka Baich was also common during the British rule in the Sylhet region after the rainy season when much of the land goes under water. The long canoes were referred to as khel naos (meaning playing boats) and the use of cymbals to accompany the singing was common.Boli Khela was introduced in the last 19th century by Kader Boxo. He was a landlord and resident of Satkania Upazila under Madarsha Union in Chittagong district. Reportedly, beginning in 1879, during the first month of each year, he collected dues from his renters and arranged a boli khela match. After his death, the 7th of Boishakh, the first month of the Bengali calendar year, started being called "Mokkaro Boli Khela".
A 20th century merchant, Abdul Jabbar Saodagor from Chittagong, arranged a boli khela in 1907 match to cultivate a sport that would prepare the youth to fight against British rule. Broad appeal for the sport began at the end of the First World War but subsided at the end of the Second World War.Rich farmers and other eminent people hired lathial for security and as a symbol of their power. Duels were used as a way to protect or take land and other possessions. A proverb in some South Asian languages is "whoever wields the lathi keeps the buffalo". Zamindars (feudal lords) sent groups of lathial to forcefully collect taxes from villagers. Lathi training was at one time included in the Bratachari system of education.
Although lathi is practised in Indian and Bangladeshi villages, urbanization has led to its decline as a rural martial art in recent decades. Until 1989, an annual nationwide lathi khela convention was held in Kushtia, Bangladesh, where troupes from all over the country took part. Due to the drop in practitioners and spectators, the convention is now held once every three years. Even in the districts where lathi troupes once flourished, only several now remain. Today, lathi khela is most often seen during festivals and weddings. Matches are held in West Bengal for certain puja rituals, and a similar sport called chamdi is played during Eid in North Bengal.Chungakhela is typically played in Chittagong by adults. The players throw firecrackers at each other, attempting to hit their opponents. As a result, players may be burnt while partaking in the game. [5]
Gaigodani is played with one player throwing a stick onto a muddy surface, trying to lodge the stick upright in the mud. A second player throws their stick, attempting to make the first stick either fall to the ground or end up parallel to the first stick. If the second player fails, the first player attempts the same, with the two alternating until one of them succeeds. The winner retains both sticks and then challenges a third player in the same fashion, and so on. Once one player has all the sticks, the player throws the sticks and hides their own stick. Then, each opponent attempts to retrieve a thrown stick and touch the hidden stick. The last opponent to do so loses. [6]
Gulli danda (Bengali : গুল্লি ডাণ্ডা), [8] also known as danguli khela, [9] is usually played by boys.[ citation needed ] It is played with a small piece of wood called a gulli, and another stick called a danda. The danda is used to hit the gulli, which the opposing player tries to catch.
Ekka-dokka (Bengali : এক্কা-দোক্কা), [8] known locally as guti (গুটি), [7] [ unreliable source? ] is typically played by women.[ citation needed ] It is played with either a smaller, broken piece of an earthen pot or flat clay that is rectangular or circular. On the ground, a large box long is drawn and is then divided into six smaller boxes. Every box has a common name, such as ek-er ghor for the first box, dui-er ghor for the second box, and so on up to five boxes, with the last box being known as samundra. The players roll their guti (playing piece) into the first box. After that, the player rotates the guti with their toes into the second box, the second box into the third box, and so on, until it reaches the fifth box. Then, the player rotates the guti back towards their starting position. After completing one round, they roll the guti again, starting at the second box. While rolling the guti, a player sings a melody called ekka-dokka. A player may be eliminated if they choose the incorrect box, leave their playing area, place both of their feet inside the box, or if their guti falls on the line.
Raja-chor-mantri-sipahi (Bengali : রাজা-মন্ত্রী-চোর-সিপাহি) [8] is usually played among boys and girls.[ citation needed ] Four players are needed to play this game, who each take up a role. The four roles are Raja (King), Mantri (Minister), chor (thief) and sipahi (soldier). Each character has different points. Raja has 1000 points, the mantri has 500 points, sipahi has 100 points, and Chor has 0 points. These roles are randomly chosen by writing the roles on a small sheet of paper and tossing them in the middle of the four players. The player who gets Raja gives the order to Mantri to find out who is the chor from the remaining two players. Mantri receives points if he correctly finds the chor. Otherwise, Mantri's points will be zero, and the points of Mantri go to the chor. Rounds repeat this way, and points are recorded in a note. To end, the points are tallied and the player with the most points is declared the winner.
One player, who is given the role as the "tiger", leaps forward and tries to grab any of the other players, who are given the role of "goats", to drag them out of the circle they are stationed within. The last player remaining within the circle becomes the tiger in the next round. [10] [9]
In Chikka, also known as "tug and trip", there are two teams who assemble across either side of a dividing line. Each team player attempts to trip the opposing team player by pulling and pushing each other, their opponent falls onto the other side of the line. [9]
In Elating Belating, there are two teams who each form a line by holding hands and facing each other. Each team steps forward while saying a rhyme. Once the rhyme is completed by one team, the players try to grab one of the players on the opposing team. If the grabbing team can successfully take an opposing player away, the grabbing team are the victors. [5]
In Morog Lorai, players must hop on one foot and attempt to knock down other players to eliminate them. The last remaining player wins the game. [11]
In Openti Bioscope, two players form a "gate" by holding hands. The two players sing a rhyme, while the other players attempt to go through the gate before it is lowered, which occurs at the completion of the rhyme. [6]
Baucchi (also spelled Bouchi or Boucchi) is a game where one player, the "bride", stays in an area some distance away from the "bride-snatching" team's area. In variations of the game, the bride may instead be considered an "old lady".[ citation needed ] The bride-snatchers can leave their area to tag players on the "bride-protecting" team and eliminate them, but the bride-snatchers must hold their breath while doing so; otherwise the bride-snatchers themselves can be tagged out by the protectors. Once the bride-snatchers have run out of breath and tagged out as many opponents as possible, the bride must run to the bride-snatchers' area without being tagged by the remaining protectors. [9]
Borof Paani is the Bengali version of freeze tag. [10]
In Chhi-chhattar, one player (the "kite") is surrounded by all other players (the "cocks"). The cocks form a human chain by holding hands. The kite can attempt to run out of the circle of players, and the first player to chase after and tag the kite becomes the kite in the next round. [10] [12]
Also known as Phul Tokka, players are separated by an equal distance from a dividing boundary line. Players are alternately blindfolded and then asked to guess which player on the other team has touched them on the forehead. When players guess correctly, they are allowed to take a jump forward. When a player guesses incorrectly, the opponent that touched them on the forehead gets to take a leap forward. The first team to get a player over the dividing line wins. [13] [14]
In Gollachut or Gollachhut, a stick is placed in the center of a 20-metre circle, and players on the king's team (generally eight to ten players) form a chain by holding hands, while one of these players holding onto the stick. The players then, as a chain, start to circle the stick. Some of them then break off from the chain, with the goal of running out of the circle without being tagged by opponents. [15]
The game is believed to be reminiscent of laborers or slaves attempting to escape doing agricultural work (i.e. grinding crops in a farmhouse). [3]
The raider is required to execute each raid on a single breath; in order to prove that they are not inhaling, they are required to repeatedly chant the word "kabaddi", in a process referred to as a cant. [lower-alpha 1] The term kabaddi is from a Tamil word composed of "Kai" and "Pidi", meaning "hand catch."
Ronojoy Sen speculates in his book Nation At Play that kabaddi originated during the Vedic period (between 1500 BC and 500 BC). There are accounts of Gautama Buddha and Lord Krishna having played an ancient form of the sport.
According to the sport's origins, Kabaddi is a sport developed centered on Jallikattu. A player going to the opposition is treated like a Bull. It is like taming a bull without touching it, as it is mentioned in Sangam Literature that the game called Sadugudu was practised since ages.
There are also accounts of kabaddi having been played in Iran 2,000 years ago.In Holdug, also known as "tag me in water", one player dives underwater, and the first opponent to tag the player takes their place in the next round of gameplay. [19]
Kho-kho is one of the more popular traditional Bengali games. [20]
In Kumir danga (Bengali: কুমির ডাঁঙ্গা), all but one player stands in a designated area. The players try to leave and stay outside of that area without being tagged by the player outside the area. [24]
In Langdi or Langdi tang, the tagger must hop on one foot, while their opponents must run within the confines of a small field. [25]
In Lathie chhora, players climb up a tree with one of them throwing a stick away from the tree. One player fetches the stick and then touches the tree. Meanwhile, all of the other players climb down the tree while trying to avoid being tagged by the stick-fetcher. [7]
Tilo Express is similar to hide-and-seek, except the seeker must shout out the name of each person they find, followed by the word "express", to eliminate them. The uneliminated players are able to defeat the seeker by tagging them and shouting "tilo". [24]
Snakes and ladders is a board game in Bangladesh. It is usually played on the Ludo board's opposite side, as Ludo and Snakes and ladders are made on the opposite side of the same board in Bangladesh.[ citation needed ]
Snakes and ladders originated as part of a family of Indian dice board games that included gyan chauper and pachisi (known in English as Ludo and Parcheesi ). It made its way to England and was sold as "Snakes and Ladders", [26] then the basic concept was introduced in the United States as Chutes and Ladders. [27]
Carrom is a board game in Bangladesh. It is played by mostly teenagers. Many tea stalls have Carrom to attract customers. The Bangladeshi variant of Carrom is slightly different from the professional variant.
Kabaddi is a contact team sport played between two teams of seven players, originating in ancient India. The objective of the game is for a single player on offense, referred to as a "raider", to run into the opposing team's half of the court, touch out as many of their players as possible, and return to their own half of the court, all without being tackled by the defenders in 30 seconds. Points are scored for each player tagged by the raider, while the opposing team earns a point for stopping the raider. Players are taken out of the game if they are touched or tackled, but return to the game after each point scored by their team from a tag or tackle.
Gillidanda is an ancient sport originating from South Asia that is still widely played throughout South Asia. The sport is also found as far north as the Mediterranean and as far east as Southeast Asia. It was a precursor to cricket in South Asia.
Tag is a playground game involving one or more players chasing other players in an attempt to "tag" and mark them out of play, typically by touching with a hand. There are many variations; most forms have no teams, scores, or equipment. Usually when a person is tagged, the tagger says, "It!" or "Tag, you're 'It'!" The last one tagged during tag is "It" for the next round. The game is known by other names in various parts of the world, including "running and catching" in India and "catch and cook" in the Middle East.
Lathi khela is a traditional Bengali martial art – a kind of stick fighting practiced in Bangladesh. A practitioner is known as a lathial. Lathi khela originated from the Bengal region in Indian subcontinent.
Kho kho is a traditional South Asian sport that dates to ancient India. It is the second-most popular traditional tag game in the Indian subcontinent after kabaddi. Kho kho is played on a rectangular court with a central lane connecting two poles which are at either end of the court. During the game, nine players from the chasing team are on the field, with eight of them sitting (crouched) in the central lane, while three runners from the defending team run around the court and try to avoid being touched. Each sitting player on the chasing team faces the opposite half of the field that their adjacent teammates are facing.
The culture of Bangladesh is intertwined with the culture of the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. It has evolved over the centuries and encompasses the cultural diversity of several social groups of Bangladesh. The Bengal Renaissance of the 18th early 19th centuries, noted Bengali writers, saints, authors, scientists, researchers, thinkers, music composers, painters, film-makers have played a significant role in the development of Bengali culture. The culture of Bangladesh is deeply intertwined with the culture of the Bengal region. Basically, Bengali culture refers to the culture of Bangladesh. The Bengal Renaissance contained the seeds of a nascent political Indian nationalism which was the precursor in many ways to modern Indian artistic cultural expression.
The culture of Bengal defines the cultural heritage of the Bengali people native to eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent, mainly what is today Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura, where they form the dominant ethnolinguistic group and the Bengali language is the official and primary language. Bengal has a recorded history of 1,400 years. After the partition, Bangladeshi culture became distinct from the mainstream Bengali culture, thus their culture evolved differently, still there are many commonalities in Bangladeshi culture & West Bengali culture which connects them both together as Bengali culture.
Boli Khela or Bali Khela is a traditional form of wrestling in Bangladesh, particularly popular in the Chittagong area considered as a national game of the district. It is a form of combat sport involving grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. It is one of the oldest traditions of the Chittagong. The sporting event, held in the first month of the Bengali year date of 7th, always takes place at Madarsha Union as Mokkaro boli khela & same month date of 12th, always takes place at Laldighi Maidan as Jabbarer Boli khela.
Seven stones is a traditional game from the Indian subcontinent involving a ball and a pile of flat stones, generally played between two teams in a large outdoor area.
Traditional games of Andhra Pradesh, like many other traditional games played in India, involve games which are played mostly by children. These games may also be enjoyed by other people of any age, as it reminds them of their childhood. Despite the advent of computers and technology, with children preferring to spend their times indoors, these games are still very popular in the Andhra Pradesh. They are also played in great and small towns all over India and Pakistan, especially in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, as well as Cambodia and Italy..
Kabaddi, is a contact sport, native to the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the most popular sports in India, played mainly among people in villages. India has taken part in four Asian Games in kabaddi, and won gold in all of them. Four forms of kabaddi played in India are Amar, Suranjeevi, huttuttoo, and Gaminee. Amar is generally played in Punjab, Haryana, the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world, mostly by Punjabi sportsmen. Suranjeevi is the most played form of kabaddi in India and the world. This is the form used in international matches generally and played in Asian Games. Huttuttoo was played by men in Maharashtra. In Gaminee style, seven players play on each side and a player put out has to remain out until all his team members are out. The team that is successful in outing all the players of the opponent's side secures a point. The game continues until five or seven such points are secured and has no fixed time duration.
Many sports are originated from Tamil Nadu played people from Tamil Nadu including both traditional sports and sports from other countries. Also Tamil Nadu is emerging as the Sports Capital State of Indian Subcontinent.
Bangladesh is home to various traditional martial arts of which Boli Khela and Lathi Khela are popular and historically significant. Other martial arts are mainly hybrids.
Langdi is a traditional South Asian field sport which combines elements of tag and hopscotch. It was originally played during the Pandiyan Dynasty and called "Nondiyaattam" at that time. The teams alternate chasing (attacking) and defending roles in each of the 4 innings of the game, with the chasing team's players restricted to hopping around on one foot, and attempting to score points by tagging as many defenders as possible within the 9 minutes of each inning. It is described by Marathis as a sport with a Marathi ethos.
Punjabis play a wide variety of sports and games, ranging from modern games such as hockey and cricket, to the more traditional games such as Kabaddi, Kushtian (wrestling) and Khuddo khoondi. There are over 100 traditional games and sports of Punjab.
India has several traditional games and sports, some of which have been played for thousands of years. Their popularity has greatly declined in the modern era, with Western sports having overtaken them during the British Raj, and the Indian government now making some efforts to revive them. Many of these games do not require much equipment or playing space. Some of them are only played in certain regions of India, or may be known by different names and played under different rules and regulations in different regions of the country. Many Indian games are also similar to other traditional South Asian games.
Pakistan has many traditional games played in the rural and urban areas of the country.
South Asia has many traditional games and sports. Two of them, kabaddi and kho-kho, are played at the South Asian Games, with kabaddi also featuring at the Asian Games. Many of these games are played across the entire subcontinent under different names and with some rule variations, while some of these games may be played only in certain countries or regions.
Many sports are played in South Asia, with cricket being the most popular of them; 90% of the sport's worldwide fans live in South Asia. Football is followed passionately in some parts of South Asia, such as Kerala and Bengal. Field hockey was popular for several decades, with some of South Asia's greatest sporting accomplishments having taken place in this sport. Some native South Asian games are played professionally in the region, such as kabaddi and kho-kho, and also feature in regional competitions such as the South Asian Games and Asian Games.
Nepal has many traditional games that are similar to other traditional South Asian games. Many of these games were played during local cultural festivals, but are now disappearing because of technological influence and globalisation.