INDIAN GAMES
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick. Hockey is played on gravel, natural grass, sand-based or water-based artificial turf, with a small, hard ball. The game is popular among both males and females in many parts of the world, particularly in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Hockey sticks are J-shaped and constructed of a composite of wood, glass fibre or carbon fibre (sometimes both) and have a curved hook at the playing end, a flat surface on the playing side and curved surface on the rear side.
Carrom
Carrom is a tabletop game with resemblances to snooker or billiards, and also the more modern games of subbuteo and air hockey. Carrom is played by propelling discs with the fingers with the aim of potting them into one of four corner pockets on a wooden playing board. Some variations of Carrom use small cues to play with but mostly carrom is played simply with the hand and no special equipment save the board and the playing discs which can be as simple as coins or bottle tops. Carrom is most widely played in India but is becoming more and more popular in the West.
Chopad
It is a relatively easy game to learn but it does require skill to play this game of strategy well. Chopad is claimed to be a variation of the game of dice played in the epic poem Mahabharata between Yudhisthira and Duryodhan. Variations are played in other parts of India1 and even Pakistan2. It is similar in some ways to Pachisi, Parcheesi and Ludo. Its also called The Ludo grandfathers. A chopad "board" is traditionally an embroidered cloth in the shape of a cross. Each arm of the cross is divided into three columns and each column is divided into eight squares. The "dice" are seven cowry shells. The "men" or pieces (Sogthi) are usually made of wood. Each player has four "men".
Kabaddi
Kabaddi is a popular sport in India. It is one of the most popular sports in India, played mainly among people in villages. It is regarded as a team-contact sport as a recreational form of combat training. Two teams occupy opposite halves of a small field and take turns sending a raider into the other half, in order to win points by tagging/wrestling members of the opposing team; the raider then tries to return to his own half while holding his breath and chanting "kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi" during the whole raid. India has taken part in four Asian Games in kabaddi, and won gold in all of them. India won the Kabaddi World Championship in 2007, beating Iran 29-19.
Kho-Kho
Like all Indian games, it is simple, inexpensive and enjoyable. It does, however, demand physical fitness, strength, speed and stamina, and a certain amount of ability. Dodging, feinting and bursts of controlled speed make this game quite thrilling. To catch by pursuit - to chase, rather than just run - is the capstone of Kho-Kho.The game develops qualities such as obedience, discipline, sportsmanship, and loyalty between team members. Each team consists of twelve players, but only nine players take the field for a contest. A match consists of two innings. An innings consists of chasing and running turns of 7 minutes each. Eight members of the chasing team sit in their eight squares on the central lane, alternately facing the opposite direction, while the ninth member is an active chaser, and stands at either of the posts, ready to begin the pursuit. Members of the chasing team have to put their opponent out, touching them with their palms, but without committing a foul. All the action in Kho-Kho is provided by the defenders, who try to play out the 7 minutes time, and the chasers who try to dismiss them.
Kite Flying
Kite flying is most popular in the state of Gujarat. Cities like Surat, Ahemdabad and Baroda are prime kite flying cities. In the metros – Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Calutta and Delhi, most of the kite flying is done from roof tops. Every year January 14th is celebrated as the kite flying day or Makar Sankrant or Sankranti. It marks the transition of the Sun into Capricorn (or Makar rashi). This festival is related to the harvest seasons in India and it is also called Uttarayan. It marks the starting of the Sun’s northward journey. A rich tradition of festivities marks this festival throughout the nation.
Kite flying is an intense sport, which requires alertness and agility to survive. If your opponent cuts your kite, if is usually lost and you need to fly another one.
