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Thursday, 2 June 2011

Iching Biching

Jumping game


A favourite of the girls, the game is spiced up by building blocks with hands and feet, over which players must jump over to win. Very energetic game. After jumping all four hands of the two sitting 'chor's, they spread their legs apart sitting, touching one another's feet. The players then jump criss-cross over the spread legs along with the non-sense rhyme:
"Iching biching chiching cha
  projapati ure ja."


Kabadi

Game of tag


Also known as Ha-du-du, it is the national sport of Bangladesh. It is played in 2 teams of 10, and is favoured by adults and children alike. On start, a player making a continuous sound (usually kabadi-kabadi or ha-du-du-du) tries to touch as many rival player as he can without losing his breath. The team that has touched most player wins. Speed, strength, breath are the key qualities a player have to have to win this game.

Nouka Baich

Boat race/ Rowing


Traditionally a sport of technique and prowess, it is often played competitively on the occasion of fairs and pujas. The boats used in racing do not have masts or sails. The agility and strength of the punters and the helmsman are the deciding factors in the game.

Morog Lorai

Cock fight


This wrestle between gramecocks is a bloddy sport held in game rings called cockpits. The game, also famous in other parts of the world, is banned in many paces these days.

Shar-er Lorai

Bull fight


Organized with a great deal of fanfare and music, this folk game combines relaxation with amusement for all. Bulls are pitted against one another to find our which one will rein the court. Although no longer performed by urbanites, this sport is still in good books of rural folks.

Tuesday, 31 May 2011

Knanamachi Vo Vo

Blind man’s bluff


One of the most played games in the country and around the world. Loved by both boys and girls, the game requires one payer to have a scarf tied round his or her eyes while the others move like ‘bees’ around the ‘blind’ player singing -

"Kanamachi vo vo
Jare pabi tare cho".

The player tagged by the ‘blind’ payer plays the blind bee in the next round.

Boli Khela

Wrestling

 


Held amid great festivity and jubilation, many believe that this traditional sporting event started in the Mughal era. Employed under influential Zamindars to provide security and status, the winners of such contests are hailed as ‘boli’ (powerful). It still continues to attract crowds in Chittagong, Bangladesh. It is popularly known as Jabbarer Boli Khela in this district.

Danguli

Tipcat



The game has somewhat similarity and/or mixture of Base Ball game and Cricket. Also known as 'dangbari' and 'gutbari', this folk game is a favourite amongst adolescent boys across the country. Played with two sticks - the large known as 'danda', about 1 to 1.5 feet long and the smaller as 'guli' or 'putti', about 3 to 5 inches long pointed on both side. The object of the game is for one side to strike the guli with the danda. The player with turn hit any pointed end of the guli with his danda making it fly/jump from the ground and then strick the guli in the air as far as possible to get higher points. points are counted by the number of danda distance.

Ekka Dokka

Hopscotch


 Chiefly played by girls across the country, the game is played on a rectangular court with with cells drawn on ground. The object of the game is to hop through the cells by advancing the piece ('chara' / 'ghuti') or marker.

Openti Bioscope

Sing Along Play Game


Played mainly by girls, the game calls for two payers to face each other and form an arc with their hands as the others pass under it forming queue line holding shoulder of the preceding one and reciting the nonsense rhyme -

"Openti bioscope
 nine ten teiscop
 sultana bibiana
 shaheb babur boithok khana
 raj barite jete
 pan supari khete
 paner agay morich bata
 is-springer chabi aata
 jar nam Renu Mala
 tare debo muktar mala"

When the rhyme ends the girl under the arc is caught to left aside and the others rejoice.

Guddi Pach

Kite Fight



Popular in many parts of South Asia, both children and adults participate in kite-flying competitions, during which the participants try to cut the strings of other kites. Accordingly, the kite strings are coated with glue and powdered glass (the process is called 'manja') so that they can easily cut the string of their rivals. This kite fight is played with usual 'patting' kites - a square size two stick kite.

Chaka

Rolling Ring



This street sport serves as entertainment for children around the country. Worn bicycle/rickshaw tires are collected, and rolled along streets followed by eager children with stick . However, this is the urban version of the play. At rural or village areas children use bamboo to make the ring. Sometimes, iron rings are used but they are smaller in size and run by cradle (an u shaped long handle) instead of stick.