In India, if one were to ask any
child (or person) his/her favourite sport/game, the answer will usually be
cricket (of course, now there are the likes of angry birds too in contention!).
The recently concluded IPL mania is a testament to that fact. Cricket is almost
a religion in India, having gained its status unfortunately though at the
expense of other sports. Except for some sporadic feats, the country’s sporting
progress over the last five plus decades has been dismal. In fact, various traditional
Sports and Games (like khokho, kabbadi, malkham) that once had its roots entrenched
within our country might soon just represent an obituary in the annals of our
sporting legacy.
It’s for this reason that we need
to cheer the launch of the newly launched Pro Kabbadi League which will surely
be a shot in the arm for improving awareness, re-establishing the status of
such traditional sports while also acknowledging the skills of the sportspersons.
Personally, it also touched a special chord with the sheer coincidence of the
league being announced with our decision to introduce Kabbadi within the SPA curriculum at our preschool (placing us among a
handful of leading preschools to do so, nationally).
Perhaps it was a tryst with
destiny that I attended a presentation by Charu Sharma, the co-founder of the
Pro kabbadi league at the prestigious college of design – ISDI, while I was
toying with the idea. My thoughts got wings and I decided to go ahead with
introducing Kabbadi, a sport that is in our DNA, as Charu Sharma puts it.
Kabaddi might not rank as the
most popular sport but the skill sets required to play the sport extends beyond
that required just during the game. It
is a combative team game and everyone is a part of winning and losing unlike
some other sports where one or two players can help the team to win or lose.
Also the use of 'Yog' - mind body, soul and self -control forms an important
part of Kabbadi.
In fact, such skills are best inculcated
in young tots since it not only helps in the holistic development of the child
but sharpens children's skills and will power. Since Yog is an integral part in
Kabbadi, it helps in overcoming anxieties, developing focus, presence of mind, observing
smallest details while inculcating the right spirit of playing the sport. The benefits of Kabbadi are too many and often
surpass other games/sports due to its nature of developing the mind, the body
and the spirit. We have observed children have benefited tremendously in terms
of developing controlled speed, presence of mind, stamina, team work,
discipline, loyalty. For all its benefits, Kabbadi is extremely simple. It is easy to comprehend rules and doesn’t
require any sophisticated equipment. It is also very popular in developing
nations and can be practiced by all.
We had the challenge of course to
change the mind-sets of parents and even teachers into believing in the
benefits of traditional sports (we had introduced khokho in the last bit last
year) but through persistent and constant interaction we have been successful
in showing each stakeholder the value these kinds of games can have about for
the children, our youth and our country. In the coming years, we will strive to
spread the benefits of such sports and can only hope other schools also help in
taking this forward collectively. We must all work toward that day when such
jewels in our sporting legacy find the rightful place and well-deserved respect
at international prestigious tournaments.
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