Food For The Upper Chamber: Native Indian Sports Versus Imported Foreign Sports

Confused! Confounded! Incomprehensible! Does the heading of the blog post make you experience any of these feelings? If yes, then that is simply the perfect start that you can make to this post and you have definitely reached the right destination for some brain-racking stuff!

In a nation like India, where most people dream of making their children well-educated with sterling careers in fields like medicine, engineering, information technology or commerce, it is a point of no wonder indeed, that sports takes a back seat to academics. Most people are not sure if encouraging their children in Sports during their schooling will yield lucrative and successful careers in the future. Also, the Infrastructure for various types of Sports in India leaves much to be desired. Things are now improving, but we still have a long way to go, in terms of encouraging Sports in India.

With this introduction to the status quo of Sports in India, it is time now to focus on the heart of the blog post. When there is a Cricket match going on in the television, mostly a T20 these days, many of us sit glued to our TV sets. When there is a telecast of the Wimbledon Tennis Match, again there is a considerable turn out of viewers. But do we get to watch games like Kabaddi or Kho Kho on TV? Let alone watching on TV, most of the current generation may just have heard about the games and some may not even know about them!

So what are these games, be it Kabaddi or Kho Kho? Kabaddi is a contact sport that originated in Ancient India. It is a team contact sport and may be considered as a recreational form of combat training. Kho Kho, on the other hand, is a tag sport played by teams of twelve players, of which nine enter the field, who try to avoid being touched by members of the opposing team.

Sports like Kabaddi, Kho Kho are the traditional sports of India. They are what I call the Native Indian Sports.With Cricket taking the front seat in terms of being the favorite popular Sports of India, the traditional Indian Sports like Kabaddi and Kho Kho get sidelined. Cricket is a rich man’s game while Kabaddi and Kho Kho are the games of rural India, which can be easily played by people of all classes. I could even term these games as the games of the masses.

With very little required in terms of infrastructure and being the native games of India, the Indian Youth could easily be groomed to be champions in these games.In fact, adequate push from India to include these games in the legendary Olympic Games, could result in a better medal tally for our nation. We could aim for and win the Gold Medal in these Sports, should they be included in the Olympic Games.

Our Country has accepted and loved games from foreign lands like Cricket, Tennis etc. with an open mind and broad vision. It is also befitting that we do justice to Sports, that were actually born in India. Let us encourage our Native Sports like Kabaddi and Kho Kho, thereby deepening our roots and taking pride in our history and culture.

It is possible for all kinds of Sports to be encouraged, learned and mastered in India. The Imported Foreign Sports like Cricket, Tennis etc require infrastructure for which interested and talented Indian Youth may have to travel abroad. With the necessary focus, determination and training, it is possible for Indian Youth to excel in both Native Sports as well as what I call Imported Foreign Sports.

My point is that Native Sports need to be promoted and encouraged along the same lines as Imported Foreign Sports. In fact, being Indians, we have an innate duty towards preserving and promoting our Native Sports and getting them recognized at global platforms like the Summer Olympics, Common Wealth Games etc. What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

(This blog was posted in response to 'The Sports Mirror' blogging contest '#sportschatter', in association with 'Blog Chatter'.)