Aaranmula Boat Race

Location	:	Kerala
Main Attractions	:	100 Feet Long Boat Races
Centre of Activity	:	Village Aaranmula
Held In	:	August / September

The Aaranmula Boat Race is staged each year in the scenic village of Aaranmula in August/ September. This river carnival is part of the Aaranmula Temple festival. Masses throng the shores of the River Pamba to watch an imposing cluster of snake boats called 'Palliyodams'. Aranmula Uthrittathi Vallomkali is conducted in the Pamba River in front of Sri Parthasarathi Temple. Though, large snake boats take part in this festival they do not race with each other. Instead, they row in union, to the accompaniment of songs and reach their destination together because Lord Krishna is believed to be present in each boat. Since 1971 this procession has taken the present form of a race conducted by the Palliyoda Seva Sangh. Each boat, nearly 100 feet long, is a remarkable feat of craftsmanship, with the stem curved to resemble the hood of a snake and a tampering bow. Festooned with silk and gold spangled umbrellas, the boats are manned by a crew of more than 100 men.

Gilli thanda (Kittipulla) [கில்லி தண்ட (கிட்டிபுள்ளை)]

Gilli Danda or Guli Danda, Lippa, S-Cianco, is a traditional amateur sport, popular among rural youth in the Indian subcontinent and southern Europe. It is also know as dangguli 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.

 

The rules are different everywhere and you can have fun making your own rules. Imagine a game like cricket or baseball but without a ball! That's what 'Gilli Danda' is.

Thing Required:

• Gilli Danda requires two wooden sticks - a 'Gilli' and a 'Danda'. The 'Gilli' is a small wooden piece which is about three inches long and 'Danda' - a stick, about 2 feet in length, is used to strike the Gilli.
• 4+ Player
• Open groud

How to play:

 

• A small circle of four feet diameter is drawn. In the centre a small oblong shaped hole is dug which should be smaller than the gilli.
• Two teams are formed. One bat and the other fields.
• Fielders stand in a position from where they can catch the gilli.
• The first player places the gilli in the hole and lifts it quickly high in the air with the danda and then strikes it. If he fails at first, he gets another turn. If the fielder catches the gilli before it touches the 
  ground, the batsman is out and the second player tries to hit the gilli. If the gilli is not caught, then the distance from the hole to the place where the gilli falls is measured with the danda. Each danda equals one point.
• The fielder stands where the gilli had fallen and tosses it to the batsman. The batsman tries to hit the gilli while it is in the air. If it falls in the circle then he is out, if it falls outside the circle then he taps the tapered end and lifts it in the air and strikes while it is in the air. He gets three chances to hit the gilli. If he does not hit it, or is caught, he is out.
• The game continues till all batsmen are out. The team changes side and continues the same way. The team with higher score wins. 

Warning :  

Gilli danda is a very dangerous game to play. Many a times the "Gilli" can go astray and hit one of the players or passersby, so it needs to be played carefully so that no players or passers get hurt.

Pallanguli

Pallanguli

Pallanguli is played in the Southern India. Traditional game for India and favourite game for Tamil community. It is called the gambling game by men and favourite game for ladies.The board has 14 cups with each player controlling seven. In each cup six seeds are placed. To play the game, players lift the seeds and distribute one seed in each hole. If the seeds are finished, the player goes on to his opponent’s side of the board. If the seed fall into a cup with an empty cup beyond, the seeds in the cup beyond the empty hole are captured by the player and put into his store.These two pieces pallanguli was used in 1940's era and made from teak wood. It is very heavy for its size and available in multi sizes and made from different form of products, example made from brass, wood, marble and so on. Type of seeds used to play this game normally cowrie or seashell, tamarind seed or others. 

Kho-Kho

             Kho-Kho ranks as one of the most popular traditional sports in India. The origin of Kho-Kho is difficult to trace, but many historians believe, that it is a modified form of 'Run Chase', which in its simplest form involves chasing and touching a person. With its origins in Maharashtra, Kho-Kho in ancient times, was played on 'raths' or chariots, and was known as Rathera.

              Like all Indian games, it is simple, inexpensive and enjoyable. It does, however, demand physical fitness, strength, speed and stamina, and a certain amount of ability. Dodging, feinting and bursts of controlled speed make this game quite thrilling. To catch by pursuit - to chase, rather than just run - is the capstone of Kho-Kho.The game develops qualities such as obedience, discipline, sportsmanship, and loyalty between team members.

                               The rules of the game were framed in the beginning of the 20th century. At Gymkhana Poona, a Committee was formed in 1914, to frame its rules. The first ever rules on Kho-Kho were published from Gymkhana Baroda, in 1924. In 1959-60, the first national Kho-Kho championship was organised in Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh). The Government has initiated the following awards for the game: Arjuna Award, Eklavya Award for men, Rani Laxmi Bai award for women, Veer Abhimanyu award for boys under 18, and Janaki award for girls under 16.

How the game is played

                               Each team consists of twelve players, but only nine players take the field for a contest. A match consists of two innings. An innings consists of chasing and running turns of 7 minutes each. Eight members of the chasing team sit in their eight squares on the central lane, alternately facing the opposite direction, while the ninth member is an active chaser, and stands at either of the posts, ready to begin the pursuit. Members of the chasing team have to put their opponent out, touching them with their palms, but without committing a foul. All the action in Kho-Kho is provided by the defenders, who try to play out the 7 minutes time, and the chasers who try to dismiss them. A defender can be dismissed in three ways: 1) if he is touched by an active chaser with his palm without committing a foul, 2) if he goes out of the limits on his own, 3) if he enters the limit late.

                     Defenders enter the limit, in batches of three. After the third and last defender of batch is out, the next batch must enter the limits, before a 'kho' is given by the successful active chaser. Defenders have full freedom of movement on both sides of the central lane, but the active chaser cannot change the direction to which he is committed. He cannot cross the central lane. An active chaser can change position with a seated chaser, by touching him from behind by palm, and uttering the word 'kho' loudly, and simultaneously, chase or attack is build up through a series of 'khos' as the chase continues with a relay of chasers.

At the end of the innings there is an interval of 5 minutes and an interval of 2 minutes, in between the turns. Each side alternates between chasing and defence.

               Kho-Kho can be played by men, women, and children of all ages. The game requires a very small piece of evenly surfaced ground, rectangular in shape, and 27m by 15m. The only equipment required are the two poles. The game lasts no more than 37 minutes.

Domestic seasons and tournaments

               The following championships are organised for this game:

            National Championships, Junior National, Sub Junior National Championship, School Championship, Mini School Championship, Primary Mini School Championship, National Women Championship, All India Inter University Championship and Federation Cup

Organisations involved with the sport in India

              The primary sports body for this game is called the Kho-Kho Federation of India (K.K.F.I.). It has its branches in all the states and it has been conducting Mini, Junior and Open National Championships for both sexes, in many parts of India.

Key Players

               A number of players have bagged the Arjuna Award. Some of these players are:

Shri Shekhar Dharwadkar, Shri Shrirang Inamdar, Usha Nagarkar, Nilima Sarolkar, Achala Devare.

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Kabadi (கபடி)

Kabadi is a team sport, played mostly in South Asia. The word 'Kabadi' is derived from a Hindi word that means, 'holding your breath,' which is the activity that underlies all games of Kabadi. It is most often played in underwear (Shorts) in villages and in track suits in tournaments. Kabadi was one of the demonstration games at Asiad '82.

How to Play

Number of teams                            : 2

Number of Players per Team     : 12

Number of Players in court         : 7

Number of Players in reserve     : 5

Dimensions of the Court                : 12.50m x 10m, divided by a line into two halves

Timing                                                   : Two 20 minute halves, with a break of five minutes

Criteria                                                  : On the basis of age-group and weight

Referee’s                                               : 7 (1 referee, 2 umpires, 2 linesmen, 1 time keeper and 1 scorer )

 

The side winning the toss sends a 'raider', who enters the opponents court murmuring continuously, 'Kabadi - Kabadi' in one breath. The raider's aim is to touch anyone or more players on the opposing side, and return to his court without losing that breath. The person, whom the raider touches, will be out. The aim of the opposing team will be to hold the raider, and stop him from returning to his own court, until he takes another breath. If the raider cannot return to his court in the same breath while murmuring 'Kabadi - Kabadi', he will be declared out. Each team sends a player alternatively into the opponents' court. If a player goes out of the boundary line during the course of the play, or if any part of his body touches the ground outside the boundary, he will be out, except during a struggle.

The team scores a lona (a bonus of two points), if the entire opposition is declared out. The game then continues by putting all the players on both sides.

Matches are staged on the basis of age-groups and weight. Seven officials supervise a match - one referee, two umpires, two linesmen, one time keeper and a scorer.

Types of Kabadi

In India, Three forms of Kabadi are played, they are

• Surjeevani
• Gaminee
• Amar (Punjab Style) 

The 'Surjeevani' form of Kabadi is played under the Kabadi Federation of India, and is governed by its rules and regulations. In the 'Surjeevani' form of Kabadi, one player is revived against one player of the opposite team who is out. i.e. one out, one in. The duration of the game, the numbers of players, dimensions of the court, etc. have been fixed by the Kabadi Federation of India.

 

In the 'Gaminee' type of Kabadi, there is no revival. When all the players of team are out, the game ends. So there is no time limit in this category.

In the 'Amar' form of Kabadi, whenever any player is touched (out), he does not go out of the court, but stays inside, and one point is awarded to the team that touched him. In this way, one point for each touches for the opposite team, i.e. to the team who touches the anti player. This game is also played on a time basis, i.e. the time is fixed.

In the northern part of the India, like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, Kabadi is played in a circle. This is known as 'Circle Kabadi' or Amar Kabadi. If it is played without a court, as in some places, it's called 'Goongi Kabadi'. The Goongi Kabadi is nothing but wrestling between two players.

Worldwide Recognition for Kabadi

The first World Kabadi Championship in the history of the game, was organised in Hamilton when approximately 14,000 people packed Copps Coliseum, to watch stars from India, Pakistan, Canada, England, and the United States compete.

The Kabadi Federation of India (KFI) was founded in 1950, and it compiled a standard set of rules. The Amateur Kabadi Federation of India (AKFI) was founded in 1973. The AKFI has given new shape to the rules, and it has also the rights of modification in the rules. The Asian Kabadi Federation was founded under the chairmanship of Mr. Sharad Pawar (Maharashtra).

Some of the Arjuna Award winners are Sh. Sadanand Mahadeo Shetty, Sh. Sadanand Mahadeo Shetty, Sh. Shakuntla Panghar Kholavakar, Sh. Shantaram Jaatu, Kumari Monika Nath, Kumari Maya Kashi Nath, Rama Sarkar etc.