Qila Raipur Sports Festival, popularly known as the Rural Olympics, is held annually in Qila Raipur (near Ludhiana), in Punjab, India.[1][2] Competitions are held for major Punjabi rural sports, include cart-race, athletic events and rope pulling.
In February each year, Ludhiana becomes the destination for hundreds of sports enthusiasts, including foreigners. They come to Qila Raipur to see the special breed of bullocks, camels, dogs, mules and other animals competing in competitive events. Many prestigious competitors have attended these competitions. In the year of the Olympics 2008, Hakam and Naib Singh Nagrath from village Kalsian, Punjab won the 1st prize. They also won first prizes in competitions held at nearby Gujjaral and Phallewal villages.[what language is this?] They are known in Punjab as the men who hold the greatest passion in the sport.[3][4]
Ban on bull racing
In 2014, the supreme court of Indian banned the Bull racing event after the complains of animal cruelty.[5] The petition was filed in 2012 by a Gau Raksha Dal—an organisation that works for the protection of cows and other animals registered a petition against the use of bulls in these games. The Punjab and Haryana high court combined the petition with two others, one by the Malwa Doaba Bulls Welfare Association and another by the Rural Hult Race and Welfare Association, both of which claimed that the Qila Raipur races did not constitute a violation of Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty act, as the races did not qualify as performance or exhibition. The court ruled in favour of these two petitions and allowed the races. The presiding judge observed, "At the cost of repetition, it is observed that the Bulls, which are being used for the sports, are well looked after, well nourished and are not treated with any cruelty." This remained intact, until the 2014 Supreme Court order.[6]
Other rural sports in Punjab with cultural and social importance
In villages which formed the first habitation of civilised man rural sports grew out of sheer necessity. The need for cultivating individual strength for labour on the fields, the interdependence within the community and need of defence, joint defence against onslaughts of a common foe and dangerous animals must have given birth to sports like wrestling, running, jumping, weightlifting and such performing arts as of measuring strength by holding wrists, twisting hands. Kabaddi which is another expression of the same spirit has become the mother of games in Punjab.
In order to toughen the frames and steel the minds of his followers Guru Hargobindji had started the tradition of holding wrestling bouts within the precincts of Akal Takht Sahib and it is mostly because of the fillip that he gave and the seal of ethics that he put on them that sports become a proud facet of life in Punjab. On the common grounds of villages, in the fairs, during the festivals, at the hermitages of pirs, graves of preceptors, wrestling became a part of high recreation. Villages adopt and feed wrestlers and also give prizes to them as a matter of honour in Punjab today.
During the Hola Mohalla celebrations at Anandpur Sahib tent pegging competitions, archery, fencing and riding competitions, gymnastic and acrobatic displays which the Nihangs put up and the tournaments held at Diwali have a hoary history. To the Punjabis goes the distinction of organising rural games into tournaments.
Almost sixty years ago when the Grewal Sports Association had begun to hold competitions in rural sports at Village Quilla Raipur little would have anyone thought that this tournament will become a movement in Punjab.
Today in almost 7000 villages in Punjab in one decade or the other rural sports competitions are being held. Rural folk organise them. It is they who extend all hospitality to the competitors also. In fact these village sports have opened the floodgates of village development.
Before Independence in 1947 major importance was given only to Kabaddi and wrestling, after Independence the circle of rural sports also got widened. The rustic "Khido Khoondi" (literally a ball made out of cuttings of cloth and a stick twisted at the end like a flat hockey blade) was replaced by proper hockey and players from villages, having no facilities beyond uneven grounds to play began to dominate in the game. Twelve of our country's greatest hockey players have come out of a single village called Sansapur in Jalandhar District. Recently not only revival of sports fairs has taken place in Punjab but their number has also increased tremendously. Twenty years ago, for instance, their number was limited to
Babehali-di-Chhinj
Bhaggowal-di-Chhinj
Shikar-Macchian di-Parewi
Jaura-Chhatra-di-Parewi
Bhomey-Wadaley-di-Chhinj
Quilla Raipur's sports
Shanker-di-Chhinj
Manann-haaney-di-Chhinj etc.
Now sports meets are held almost in every significant village in Punjab.
Following the Qila Raipur Rural Sports meet the Kalgidhar Tournament of Kamalpur has also completed half-a-century. Dhudike's Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Sports Fair has completed three decades. Gujarwal, Mullanpur, Sahnewal, Ghungali Rajputtana Hambla., Dhamto are flourishing. The -small sports meets of Lalto Kalan, Dhurkot, Rauni, Dyalpur, Rurka Kalan, Bhinder Kalan, Duare-ana are gaining stature day by day.
Three types of competitions are held during rural meets, Purely rural games: Kabaddi, Wrestling, Weight-lifting etc. Modern sports like athletics, hockey, football, volleyball, cycling, handball etc. Performing sports like acrobatics, twisting an iron-rod by placing it on Adam's apple, passing tractor over the rib-ease, cracking a big stone by placing it on the chest etc. Now another colour is also being added to these sports fairs. They have got intermixed with folk singing when sun sets after the days sports competitions the notes of music begin to emanate and singing continues, sometimes, late in the night. Music contest that was held between Karamjit Dhuri and Jagmohan Kaur at Qila Raipur is still fondly remembered. At the Gujarwal Meet the singing of Parminder Sandhu, Hans Raj Hans and Surinder Chhinda and at fairs of Majha region the notes o Toombi (one-stringed instrument) of Amarjit remain fixed in the minds of the people.
Villagers are not just fond of their own competitions they also like to size-up the skill and power of their animals like bulls, horses, dogs on the sports ground. Bullockcart racing has become a passion in Punjab. Because of a ban on hunting, hound-races are held in Punjab by dangling a bait of fake hare before them. At places cock-fights are also held and pigeon fights are contested. In some parts of Punjab people indulge in fighting a bull by barehands.
Rural Sports are a personification of the virility of Punjab.
Other games
Tirinjen (ਤ੍ਰਿੰਞਣ)
One of the popular organized forms of work and entertainment for young girls is Tirinjen – where the girls spin and sing. Tirinjen is a kind of social club, which can be organized in any home, where place for spinning wheels and the girls is available for a day/night. The girls would sing and dance, would express their sorrow and happiness, pangs of separation and joy of meeting. The spinning wheel plays a significant role in the life of the women, as a companion, counselor in distress, friend and guide. An example of a song sung by a married girl during Tirinjen:
ਚਰਖਾ ਮੇਰਾ ਰੰਗਲਾ , ਵਿੱਚ ਸੋਨੇ ਦੀਆਂ ਮੇਖਾਂ। ਵੇ ਮੈਂ ਤੈਨੂੰ ਯਾਦ ਕਰਾਂ, ਜਦ ਚਰਖੇ ਵੱਲ ਵੇਖਾਂ । (Charkha mera rangla, vich sone dian mekhan, Ni mai tenu yaad karan, jad charkhe wal vekhan.) In English:- My spinning wheel is multi colored Inlaid with nails of gold, I think of you Whenever I see my spinning wheel.
ਹਰ ਚਰਖੇ ਦੇ ਗੇੜੇ, ਯਾਦ ਆਵੇਂ ਤੂੰ ਮਿੱਤਰਾ। (Har charkhe de gere Yad awen toon mitra) Each circle of the wheel, Brings your sweet memories to my mind , 0 my beloved.
Teej or Teean (ਤੀਆਂ), which is celebrated in the month of Sawan (mid-July to mid-August), is also a source of entertainment for girls. Teej festival starts on the third day of Sawan and continues for about thirteen days. This is a period when rainy season is at its best, having said good bye to the scorching heat, people are out to enjoy the rains. It is also the time for sowing. The whole atmosphere is relaxed and people have a sigh of relief. The girls celebrate it by having swings. One sees girls, even today, on the swings all over the villages during the rainy season. They have new clothes, special dishes to eat and special songs for the occasion. This festival has also made inroads into the urban society. A number of songs are sung during the occasion pertaining to various aspects of the social life.
Come on all friends! Let’s go and play Tian, The Sawan Heartens us, Let us hang the swings on the Peepal. Swinging ku-ku O friends! The cuckoo sheds its tears And behold this Papiha Which goes on singing pia-pia. The peacock dances gleefully Filling the garden with its crowings These wretched blossoming flowers Remind us of our Beloved.
Kikli (ਕਿਕਲੀ)
This is another game, basically for women. Two girls clasp their hands and move in circle. This was a game, which was played by two or four girls and multiple of two thereof. Kikli kleer di, Pag mere vir de, Daupatta mere bhai da Phitte mun jawai da
Gheeta Pathar
Some pebbles, stones or broken earthenware could be broken further into pieces and used for playing Gheeta Pather. This was a game, which did not involve running or jumping and was played sitting on the floor.
Khidu
The girls would sing along with Khidu (Ball), in fact these rhymes and game is suitable for the children: This was for the first round, there was the second and third till the end was reached by counting ten and singing the tenth song.
Kotla Chhapaki (ਕੋਟਲਾ ਛਪਾਕੀ)
This game is popular even today amongst the children. Both boys and girls play it. Children sit in a circles and a child who has cloth in hand goes around the circle-singing: It is a kind of warning for the children sitting in a circle not to look back. The cloth is then dropped at the back of a child. If it is discovered before the child who had placed it there had completed the round, the child who discovered the cloth would run after him and try to touch him with it till he sits in the place vacated by the one who had discovered the cloth.
Chicho Chich Ganerian
This game is for both boys and girls. It is generally played by two teams and involves drawing as many vertical lines as possible.
Lukan Meeti (hide and seek)
This was also played by both boys and girls and continues to this day. Two teams can also play this. One has to hide, the other has to seek but before doing it a call is given.
Kidi Kada or Stapoo
This is a game played both by the girls and boys. It is still common amongst some of the children. This game is played with in small boundary (court), drawn on the ground and a piece of stone.
Ghaggar Phissi
This is another game for the boys. One boy would bend and the other boys, may be one or two or three get on top of him, if he could bear the weight, he would win. In case he could not bear the weight and fell, he would lose.
This game is popular even today and is played now by both boys and girls. This was included in the Asian Games also and is popular all over south Asia. The game is played between two teams. A line is drawn between the two teams and each team would send a player across the line. If the player after crossing the line is able to touch a player of the opposite side and came back without being caught, the team doing so would win and a point was added to its score. This process by the player crossing the line has to be performed in a single breath. The team with higher score would be the winner is also known as achi game
Rasa Kashi (Tug of War)
The men generally played this game. These days women also participate in the game which is played by FIVE teams. A line is drawn between the two teams, each having one end of the rope in its hands. The team, which is able to drag the other team to its side, is the winner team.
Akharas
These were very popular. Located near the well outside the village, sometimes near the temple. These were the places where the boys learnt wrestling from a Guru or Pehlwan-Wrestler.
Martial art
This was also a part of the teaching in Akharas, where the boys learnt the use of weapons. Nihangs practice martial arts to keep up the traditions. [7]
Kite Flying (Patang Bazi)
It is now very much an urbanized game and is popular with the rural folks as well. It has now assumed an International character. Besides the games mentioned above, Chaupat, Shatranj (Chess), camel and bullockcart races, cock fights in addition to Kabutar bazi, chakore bazi and bater bazi are well known. LATTOO ( yo-yo), played mostly by the boys.
Gilli-danda Guli Danda is an amateur sport, popular among rural youth in the Indian subcontinent. It is called dÄnggűli in Bangla, chinni-dandu in Kannada, kuttiyum kolum in Malayalam, viti-dandu in Marathi, kitti-pullu in Tamil, gooti-billa in Telugu, and Lappa-Duggi in Pashto. This sport is generally played in the rural and small towns of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely played in Punjab and rural areas of the North-West Frontier Province and Sindh (Pakistan) and Sultanpur district, Uttar Pradesh (north India).
Origin
There are no records of the game's origin in the south Asian subcontinent or of its existence before the arrival of Europeans. However a similar game known as Lippa has a history of being played in Italy and southern Europe.
Equipment
Gilli-danda have no official requirements for equipment. The game is played with a gilli or guli and danda, which are both wooden sticks. The danda is longer and handmade by the player, who can swing it easily. The gilli is smaller and is tapered on both sides so that the ends are conical. The gilli is analogous to a cricket ball and the danda is analogous to a cricket bat. There is no standard length defined for the danda or gilli. Usually, however, the gilli is 3 to 6 inches long and the danda is 12 to 18 inches.
Rules
The objective of the sport is to use the danda like a baseball bat to strike the gilli (similar to striking a ball in cricket or baseball). For this purpose, a circle is drawn in the ground in which a small, oblong- or spindle-shaped hole is dug (the overall shape looks like a traditional boat). This hole is smaller than the gilli but as the play progresses the size may increase due to wear. The gilli is inserted into the hole either orthogonally, or at an angle. The danda is then swung (similar to a golf swing) and strikes the gilli. Another variation is when the danda lifts or pries the gilli out of the hole at a high speed. As it is quite similar to cricket, many people believe that cricket originated from it. Scoring and outs There are many regional variations to scoring. The gilli becomes airborne after it is struck. If a fielder from the opposing team catches the gilli, the striker is out. If the gilli lands on the ground, the fielder closest to the gilli has one chance to hit the danda (which has to be placed on top of the hole used) with a throw (similar to a run out in cricket). If the fielder is successful, the striker is out; if not, the striker scores one score and gets another opportunity to strike. The team (or individual) with the most points wins the game. If the striker fails to hit gilli in three tries, the striker is out (similar to a strikeout in baseball). Teams There is no official maximum number of players or teams. Gilli-danda can be played where each individual plays for themselves, or between two teams.
Champions
So far, very few International tournaments played between India & Pakistan. Pakistan defeated India in three out of five; two ended in a draw. The Pakistani Champions were: Noor Khan, Abdul Hameed Qureshi, Nadeem Jameel, Iftikhar Hashmi, and Qaseem Siddiqui. The Indian Champions: Deepali Gode from Kalyan, Varun, Ajay Kaushik, Rohit Mishra (allahabad)(engineer from IT BHU), Vijay Choudhary of Darbhanga, Vivek Baranwal of Varanasi, Upender Kumar, Satyendra Tripathi, and Sandeep Prakash and Pradeep Kumar yYdav of Lucknow Sudhanshu Yadav from Jaipur
Variations
As an amateur youth sport, gilli-danda has many variations. A common variation is where the striker is allowed to hit the gilli twice, once initially, and then while the gilli is in the air. In some versions, the points a striker scores is dependent on the distance the gilli falls from the striking point. The distance is measured in term s of the length of the danda, or in some cases the length of the gilli. Scoring also depends on how many times the gilli was hit in the air in one strike. If it travels a certain distance with two mid-air strikes, the total point is doubled. In the Philippines, a game known as syatong is similar to gilli-danda. In Italy a similar game known as "Lippa", "Lipe", "Tirolo", or "S-cianco" is shown in the movie Watch Out We Are Mad.
Patiala is a city in southeastern Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the Qila Mubarak constructed by a chieftain Ala Singh, who founded the royal dynasty of Patiala State in 1763, and after whom the city is named.
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.
Ludhiana is the most populous city in the Indian state of Punjab. The city has an estimated population of 1,618,879 as of the 2011 census and distributed over 310 km2 (120 sq mi), making Ludhiana the most densely populated urban centre in the state. It is a major industrial center of Northern India, referred to as "India's Manchester" by the BBC. It is also known as the commercial capital of Punjab.
Qila Raipur is a noted village of Ludhiana district in Punjab, India, as it hosts the annual Qila Raipur Sports Festival, known as the Rural Olympics. The events played often demonstrate the physical strength and valor of the Punjabi men and women.
Danda Shah Bilawal is a village in Punjab, Pakistan located on the midway on the main road linking Mianwali and Talagang. It is a local trade centre for surrounding villages owing to its location.
Pehlwani, also known as Kushti, is a form of wrestling contested in the Indian subcontinent. It was developed in 14th century by combining Persian Koshti pahlevani with influences from native Indian Malla-yuddha. The words pehlwani and kushti derive from the Persian terms pahlavani (heroic) and koshti respectively, meaning Heroic wrestling. A practitioner of this sport is referred to as a pehlwan while teachers are known as ustad.
The Tripuri community has its own traditional sports, which are called Thwngmung in the Kokborok, the Tripuri language. In recent years these traditional sports are being gradually abandoned as more people become attracted to modern games and sports, but some of the sports are still played today and preferred in rural Tripura. Some of these sports are listed below.
The first Punjab Games were held from 5–11 December 2004, in Patiala city in Indian Punjab.
Khudian Khas, is a large town and Municipal Committee of Kasur District in the Punjab province of Pakistan..Khudian is part of Kasur Tehsil and is at an altitude of 177 meters (583 feet) above sea level. The Sutlej River, which flows on the India-Pakistan border, is 20 kilometers from Khudian. It is 33 kilometers from India-Pakistan border of Ganda Singh Wala All the lines are written and approved by Faheem Jawad a Notable publisher at Khudian khas.
Bhangra is a type of traditional folk dance of Punjab area of the Indian subcontinent. It is done in the season of harvesting. According to Manuel (2001), bhangra is especially associated with the vernal Vaisakhi festival, performed during harvest season between April and the first quarter of May.
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.
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.
Desi Adda: Games of India is a collection of video games developed by Gameshastra and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It was released for PlayStation 2 on October 27, 2009. It was later released for PlayStation Portable and was the first Indian developed game to be added to PlayStation Network. The game is in four languages: English, Hindi, Tamil and Punjabi.
Chak # 285 GB is a large village of tehsil & District Toba Tek Singh, Punjab, Pakistan. It is a part of Union Council Number 42, along with closest villages, Chak No. 286 GB, Chak No. 284 GB. Chak No. 291 GB. A Karachi - Lahore Motorway M3 goes through this village and an Interchange has been built in Rajana. These all villages are on Gugera Branch Canal, which comes from River Chennab near Khanki, Hafizabad and again join another canal from same river Chennab near Shorkot Cant. The postal code is 36071. Punjabi is the native spoken language but as a national language Urdu is also widely used. Major castes of this village are Arain, Syed, Gujjar, Rajputs, Khokhar, etc. Most powerful and business tycoons of this village Choudhary Shahid Irshad member Ch Khalid member & saith rasheed families
Bengali traditional games are traditional games that are played in rural parts of the historical region of Bengal. These games are typically played outside with limited resources. Many games have similarities to other traditional South Asian games.
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.
The Chhattisgarhiya Olympics are an annual sports event held in Chhattisgarh, India to celebrate traditional Indian games such as kabaddi and kho-kho, as well as to promote sports participation among rural people and women. The event takes place over three months. The first edition was held in 2022, with around 2.6 million Chattisgarhis participating, and about 1,900 of them reaching the state-level finals. Over 3 million Chattisgarhis likely participated in the 2023 edition.
Bharatiya Khel is an initiative of the Indian government under the National Education Policy (NEP) and Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) policies to introduce 75 traditional Indian games into schools across the country. Interschool competitions will be held, with one seasonal game selected each month, and the best-performing schools and teachers will earn certificates of recognition.
References
↑ "Qila Raipur Sports Festival begins". The Tribune. Retrieved 20 February 2020. With the 79th chapter of Qila Raipur Sports Festival, popularly known as the Mini-Olympics, commencing tomorrow, sports enthusiasts have already started visiting the stadium.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
