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Rural
Sports in Punjab
 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 SANSARPUR 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
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Babehali-di-Chhinj, |
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Bhaggowal-di-Chhinj, |
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Shikar-Macchian di-Parewi, |
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Jaura-Chhatra-di-Parewi, |
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Bhomey-Wadaley-di-Chhinj, |
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Quilla Raipur's
sports, |
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Shanker-di-Chhinj |
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Munun-honey-di-Chhinj
etc.
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Now sports meets are held
almost in every significant village in Punjab.
Following the Kila
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 Kila 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
bare hands.
Rural Sports are a personification of the virility of
Punjab.
Source
:
Punjab
govt.
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