Boat racing in Bangladesh

Bengali traditional games are games that are traditionally played in rural parts of the historical region of Bengal (present-day Bangladesh and portions of eastern India). These games are typically played outside with limited resources. Some of them have similarities to other traditional South Asian games. Due to urbanization, the rate at which traditional Bengali games are being played is decreasing.

History

Some traditional Bengali games are thousands of years old and reference traditional ways of life. It is argued that some of the rhymes that 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.[1]

During the colonial era, traditional Bengali games declined in popularity, as the Bengali middle class (Bhadralok) began to be influenced by European sporting culture.[2]

Traditional games

Boli Khela

This section is an excerpt from Jobbarer Boli Khela.[edit]
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.

Chungakhela

While playing Chungakhela, players attempt to throw firecrackers at each other; as a result, players may be burnt while partaking in the game.[3]

Ekka-dokka

Ekka-dokka (Bengali: এক্কা-দোক্কা),[4] known locally as guti (গুটি),[5] is typically played by women. 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 about three yards (270 cm) long is drawn; it is then divided into six smaller ones. There are other alternative formats, but they all have the same number of boxes. Every box has a common name, such as ek-er ghor (এক এর ঘর) for the first box, dui-er ghor (দুই এর ঘর) for the second box, and so on up to five boxes, with the last box being known as samundra (সমুদ্র). There are some fixed spots in every box. The players roll their guti into the first box as they stand in front of the starting line. After that, the guti is rotated by the toes of one foot into the second, the second into the third, and so on until it reaches the fifth box, at which point a player turns back toward their starting position in a different direction. 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.

Gaigodani

When playing Gaigodani, one player throws a stick onto a muddy surface so that it becomes lodged upright in the ground, and a second player attempts to throw their stick so that the first stick either falls to the ground or ends up parallel to the second stick. If the second player fails, the first player may attempt 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, they throw them all away and hide their own stick, with each opponent attempting to retrieve a thrown stick and touch the hidden stick. The last opponent to do so loses.[6]

Gulli danda

Gulli danda (Bengali: গুল্লি ডাণ্ডা),[4] also known as danguli khela,[7] is usually played by boys. It is played with a smaller piece of wood called a gulli, which is approximately four inches long, and another stick known as a danda, which is two feet long. The gulli is placed on a pit that is four inches long and dug into the ground; a player then pushes the gulli off the pit by using the danda. The opposing player then tries to catch the gulli. The second player can push the gulli if the first player catches it or hits the danda. If the first player is not out, they can hit the gulli. Hitting can be done in two forms; the first involves a player trying to hit one side of the gulli, causing it to bounce slightly; the next involves a player trying to hit the gulli to send it as far away as the danda is from the pit. Three hits are generally allowed for bouncing the gulli. If a player misses 3 hits, the player will be declared "out" and the second player gets chances to push the gulli. Again the opposition players try to catch this flying gulli for out the player. If the player is not out, they get the points by measuring the distance between the pit and gulli (where gulli falls). Another interesting thing is that while the gulli is in the air, the player can also attempt to toss it a few times with the danda before finally hitting it away. It is called double (if two times hit) or triple (if three times hit).

Golap Tagar

Also known as Phul Tokka, in this game the 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, however, the opponent that touched them on the forehead instead gets to take a leap forward. The first team to get a player over the dividing line wins.[8][9]

Lathi khela

This section is an excerpt from Lathi khela.[edit]
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.

Nouka Baich

This section is an excerpt from Nouka Baich.[edit]
Nouka Baich (Bengali: নৌকা বাইচ, lit. Boat Race, also spelt Nowka Bais) is a traditional dragon boat-style paddling sport of Bangladesh and West Bengal in India.[10] The Bangladesh Rowing Federation, established in 1974, is the authority of all rowing activities in Bangladesh and has organised over 40 National Rowing Championships. The races are held during the wet and autumn seasons of the Bengali calendar which corresponds from June to October in the Gregorian calendar. The "Nowka Bais" which takes place annually in Birmingham is a leading cultural event in the West Midlands, United Kingdom attracting not only the Bangladeshi diaspora but a variety of cultures.[11] It is also the largest kind of boat race in the United Kingdom.[12]

Openti Bioscope

Two players form a "gate" by holding hands, and other players attempt to go through the gate before it is lowered (which usually occurs at the completion of a song sung by the two players).[6]

Raja-chor-mantri-sipahi

Raja-chor-mantri-sipahi (Bengali: রাজা-মন্ত্রী-চোর-সিপাহি)[4] is usually played among boys and girls. Usually, four players are needed to play this game. Raja, mantri, chor and sipahi are written on four small chits of paper. Points are dedicated to these characters. Usually, Raja has 1000 points, the mantri has 500 points, sipahi has 100 points, and Chor has 0 points. After folding, these chits are thrown in the middle of the four players who then collect one each. The player who gets the Raja gives the order to mantri to find out who is chor from the remaining two players. Mantri gets points if he correctly finds chor. Otherwise, Mantri's points will be zero, and the points of Mantri go to chor. Rounds continue 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.

Pull-and-push games

Ayanga-ayanga

One player (the "tiger") tries to leap forward and grab any of the other players (the "goats") to drag them out of the circle that they are stationed within. The last player remaining within the circle becomes the tiger in the next round of play.[13][7]

Chikka

In Chikka, also known as "tug and trip", the two teams assemble across either side of a dividing line. Each team attempts to struggle with the other such that their opponents fall onto their side of the line.[7]

Elating Belating

Two teams each form a line by holding hands and facing each other, with each team stepping forward while saying various verses of a rhyme. Once the rhyme is completed by one team, they try to grab one of the players on the other team; victory is determined by whether the grabbing team can successfully take the opposing player away or not.[3]

Morog Lorai

Players must hop on one foot and attempt to knock down other players to eliminate them, with the last remaining player winning the game.[14]

Variations of tag

Bouchi

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. 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.[15] In variations of the game, the bride may instead be considered an "old lady".[7]

Borof Paani

Borof Paani is the Bengali version of freeze tag.[13]

Chhi-chhattar

One player (the "kite") is surrounded by all other players (the "cocks"), who form a human chain by holding hands. The kite can attempt to run out of the circle of players, with the first player to chase after and tag the kite becoming the kite in the next round.[13][16]

Dariabandha

This section is an excerpt from Atya patya.[edit]
Atya patya (Hindi: आट्यापाट्या) is a traditional Indian tag sport played by two sides of nine players. It is more popular in rural areas of India. It is more commonly played in Maharashtra, a western Indian state. Atya patya is described as a "game of feints". The playing area comprises nine trenches, coming out of either side of a central trench; a point is awarded to the attacking team's players for each trench they cross without being tagged out by the defensive players within the trenches. The game ends after 4 innings (scoring turns) of 7 minutes each, with each team having two innings to score. It has been described as a game of "militant chase". The sport is played in a relatively small area and requires no equipment, similar to other games indigenous to India such as kabaddi, seven stones, kho kho, gillidanda and langdi.

Gollachut

In Gollachut or Gollachhut, a stick is placed in the center of a 20-metre circle, and players on the king's team (teams are generally eight to ten players) form a chain by holding hands, with one of these players holding onto the stick. They then, as a chain, start to go around the stick, with some of them then breaking off from the chain, with the goal of running out of the circle without being tagged by opponents.[17]

The game is believed to be reminiscent of labourers or slaves attempting to escape doing agricultural work (i.e. grinding crops in a farmhouse).[1]

Ha-du-du

This section is an excerpt from Kabaddi.[edit]
Kabaddi being played at the 2018 Asian Games
Kabaddi is a contact team sport played between two teams of seven players, originating in ancient India.[18] 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 are brought back in for each point scored by their team from a tag or a tackle.

Holdug

Holdug, also known as "tag me in water", is a game where one player dives underwater and the first opponent to tag them takes their place in the next round of gameplay.[19]

Kanamachi

This section is an excerpt from Kanamachi.[edit]
Kanamachi (Bengali: কানামাছি, romanized: Kanamachhi, lit. 'Blind fly', also spelt Kanamasi or Khanamasi) is a traditional game popular in Bangladesh[20][21] and in the Indian states of West Bengal, Assam, Odisha and Tripura. It is played mainly by children and is one of the most popular games among Bangladeshi villagers. Children living in towns and cities also love the game in great amount. It is similar to the European game Blind man's buff.

Kho kho

This section is an excerpt from Kho kho.[edit]
Kho kho playing in Govt middle school, Nallambal, Karaikal
Kho kho is a traditional Indian sport that dates back to ancient India.[22][23] It is the second-most popular traditional tag game in the Indian subcontinent after kabaddi.[24] 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 (attacking 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.[23] Each sitting player on the chasing team faces the opposite half of the field that their adjacent teammates are facing.

Kho-kho is one of the more popular traditional Bengali games.[25]

Kumir danga

(Bengali: কুমির ডাঁঙ্গা) - all but one of the players stand in a designated area, and they try to leave and stay outside of that area without being tagged by the player outside of it.[26]

Langdi

Langdi or Langdi tang is a game of tag in which the tagger must hop on one foot, while their opponents must run within the confines of a small field.[27]

Lathie chhora

Players climb up a tree, with one of them throwing a stick away from the tree, and one of the other players required to fetch the stick and then touch the tree. Meanwhile, all of the other players climb down the tree while trying to avoid being tagged by the stick-fetcher.[5]

Nuntaa

Tilo Express

This game is similar to hide-and-seek, except that the seeker must shout out the name of each person they find (and then the word 'express') to eliminate them, with the uneliminated players able to defeat the seeker by tagging them and shouting 'tilo'.[26]

Board games

Ludo

Ludo is a board game in Bangladesh. It is played by people of all age groups. It derived from Pachisi.

Snakes and ladders

Snakes and ladders is a board game in Bangladesh. It’s usually played on the opposite side of Ludo, as Ludo and Snakes and ladders are made on the opposite side of the same board in Bangladesh.

Carrom

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.

Others

Other popular rural games include:[4][15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 A Historical Study of the Origin and Features of Some Selected Folk Games in North Bengal Badal Roy https://ir.nbu.ac.in/
  2. ↑ Vaczi, Mariann; Bairner, Alan (2023-10-06). Indigenous, Traditional, and Folk Sports: Contesting Modernities. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-98328-9.
  3. 1 2 "Folk games (Part-II) | Independent". m.theindependentbd.com. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Traditional rural Bengali games".
  5. 1 2 3 Traditional Sports and Games Culture Around West Bengal Pallab Ghosh noveltyjournals.com
  6. 1 2 হারিয়ে যাওয়া মজার খেলা https://web.archive.org/
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Folk Games In Bangladesh: On The Verge Of Extinction | Daily Sun |". daily sun. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  8. ↑ "Folk games (part-III)". Folk games (part-III) | theindependentbd.com. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  9. ↑ Global Playground’s International Play Dayhttps://www.globalplayground.org/
  10. ↑ Datta, Rangan (13 September 2023). "Bhetbaria boat race – a celebration of Bengal's boating culture". The Telegraph. My Kolkata. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  11. ↑ "St Joseph makes a splash at the 2019 Nowka Bais". Berkeley Group.
  12. ↑ Bentley, David (29 July 2018). "Free festival with street food and dragon boat racing returns to Birmingham". Birmingham Mail.
  13. 1 2 3 connect2: Bangladesh cafod.org.uk
  14. ↑ "Our lost indigenous sports and a defective socialization process -By Sohrab Hussain". Perspective. 2017-01-19. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  15. 1 2 "Traditional games of Bangladesh". unesdoc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  16. ↑ Traditional Games, Sports & Amusements played in North Bengal and its Historical Background
  17. ↑ Nasim, Md Abu (2021-04-17). Stadiums in Calcutta: A New Genre of Sports Culture. Notion Press. ISBN 978-1-63806-579-1.
  18. ↑ Sudevan, Praveen (2022-10-27). "How Pro Kabaddi made kabaddi the most-watched sport in India after cricket". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  19. ↑ "Knowing Bangladesh | Independent". m.theindependentbd.com. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  20. ↑ "Traditional games get a boost". The Daily Star. 2012-05-09. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
  21. ↑ "Rising Stars: The game". Rising Stars. The Daily Sar. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
  22. ↑ Hard Bound Lab Manual Health and Physical Education, p. 41
  23. 1 2 "kho-kho | Indian sport | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-07-16.
  24. ↑ Peter A Hastie (2010). Student-Designed Games: Strategies for Promoting Creativity, Cooperation, and Skill Development. Human Kinetics. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-7360-8590-8.
  25. ↑ THE STATUS AND FUTURE PROSPECT OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL GAME KHO-KHO IN WEST BENGAL https://www.researchgate.net Nita Bandyopadhyay
  26. 1 2 Ahmed, Shaquib Tayeem (2015-11-20). "Lost Games Of Dhaka City". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  27. ↑ "Maa Mati Manush :: M3 Leads - Traditional rural Bengali games". maamatimanush.tv. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
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