Sporting the spirit of Olympics in rural Punjab
Prabhjot Singh

As many as 200 rural sports festivals are held in Punjab every year. — Photo Pankaj Sharma

WHAT does Kila Raipur have in common with Bhanbhora, Dhamot,Phalewal, Phulanwal, Budhewal, Sahnewal, Jarkhar, Gurusar Sudhar, Vakilanwala, Ber Kalan, Machhiwara, Mehraj, Jaito, Lall Kalan, Mustafabad, Ghungrali Rajputan, Baja Khana,Mehal Kalan, Kamalpura, Nangal, Mehma Singhwala, Dalla, Jalal, Jodhpur, Dehlon, Dhilwan and Raipur Bhaian? Rural sports.

Though Kila Raipur is the mecca of rural sports, the remaining villages dotting Punjab have been organising their respective annual sports festivals between December and March every year. The number of such annual festivals is estimated to be around 200.

These festivals have become symbols of communal harmony, universal brotherhood and sharing. Even during two decades of turbulence in Punjab, these festivals were organised despite the trying circumstances.Once an attempt was made to disrupt Kila Raipur Rural Olympics by threatening to bomb the event. But the massive turnout of the people foiled the design.

Some of these festivals are organised to commemorate the memory of soldiers or paramilitary men who made the supreme sacrifices for the country. For example, the Rural Sports Festival at Bhanbhora, near Malerkotla, is organised in the memory of Amarjit Singh Sohi (1971 war) and Bahadur Singh (Kargil). Gram panchayats, naujawan sabhas and even specially constituted committees, like the Grewal Sports Association (Kila Raipur), have taken upon themselves the onerous responsibility of conducting these annual festivals.

Though a majority of the participants in these rural festivals may not be aware about the Olympic movement, the physical expression of their well being in the shape of such seasonal competitions has become an integral part of their lifestyle. They participate in these festivals with true sportsman spirit keeping the Olympic ideal of higher, swifter and faster in their minds.

The concept of these rural festivals is interestingly modelled on the lines of the modern Olympics. For example, if the modern Olympics have cultural festivals and exhibitions as side attractions, these festivals too have the same design.

At Kila Raipur, for example, not only exhibitions on the latest farm practices, agricultural implements, handicrafts and other things are organised, the evening cultural programme, dedicated to the rural folklore, is organised on all the four days of the festival.

Rural sports festival are in fact a step ahead of modern Olympics. While separate Olympic Games are organised for special people wiht handicaps, natural or otherwise, and also for veterans, these festivals have them all together at one venue. In Kila Raipur, you will find 80-year- young athletes as well as 16-year-old girls taking part in track and field events, even as an eight-year-old boy gives an unbelievable display of "gatka."

Though many features of these rural sports festivals vary yet kabaddi, the biggest crowd puller, is the common link. It is during this December-March period that several "international" and "World Cup Kabaddi Tournaments" are organised. They offe attractive cash prizes to the winners.

These kabaddi tournaments invariably feature teams not only from Punjab, but even from the USA, the UK, Canada and mainland Europe.These overseas teams comprise mainly members of the Indian diaspora in general and Punjabis in particular. At times, they have been known to bring some native Americans and Canadians, including Blacks, with them.

One of the foremost organiser of these international kabaddi tournaments is Beant Singh Dhaliwal of Toronto. He has been the chief organiser of the Lodhi World Cup Tournament at the Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana, every year. Another major contributor to these tournaments has been Sohan Singh Cheema of England. He took kabaddi overseas. Resham Singh Bhangal,Toronto, is also a great patron of kabaddi. Though these festivals are organised on voluntary contributions and donations, many of the NRIs also contribute generously for these festivals.

On an average cash prizes between Rs 20,000 and Rs 2 lakh a day are contributed by the audience. These cash prizes are in addition to those announced by the organisers.

Since Kila Raipur is the biggest of all these festivals, each and every participant, especially those with innovative ideas, end up with no less than a few hundred rupees in their pockets. Throughout the festivals, special kitchens are run for the participants. And at places, community kitchens are organised for the spectators.

The credit of introducing rural sports goes to Ludhiana. It was in early ‘30s that some enterprising and affluent people from villages like Kila Raipur, Phalewal, Phulanwal, Lalton, Narangwal, Gujjarwal,etc, who had been successful transporters in other parts of the country in general and Bengal (Kolkatta) in particular, thought of introducing something unique for the people back home.

Since agriculture is the "culture" of Punjab, they wanted not only to showcase the hidden talent of their people back home but also provide some entertaining pastime. The farmers are virtually free between December and March as the wheat ripens and becomes ready for harvesting in April. So after irrigating wheat fields in December, the farmers have little to do. They therefore get busy in not only "sharpening their physical skills" but also getting their cattle and pets ready for the competitions.

Bullock cart races, suhaga race, camel race, races for horses, rehras, various equestrian events, including tent pegging and dressage are among some unique attractions of the bigger festivals. At places, the farmers scan various cattle fairs to look for special breeds of bullocks which are only used for bullock cart and suhaga races.

The use of wooden logs as munglis -- commonly used by wrestlers -- and lifting of wheat or paddy-filled sacks with teeth, pulling loaded tractor-trailers with hair, teeth or allowing a loaded tractor to move over their muscular bellies are some of the "unbelieveable" events at these festivals.

At places, Nihang Sikhs, popularly known as Guru ki ladli fauj, also join in to display their skill in horse riding, tent pegging, gatka and archery. Of late, the appeal of these festivals has travelled across the country and archers from tribal areas of Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttaranchal have participated in the Kila Raipur festival.

"Our effort has been to blend tradition with modernity. Way back in the early ‘30s when we introduced Bhagwant Gold Cup Hockey Tournament, stars like the hockey wizard Dhyan Chand came to Kila Raipur," recalls Sukhvir Grewal, Chief Organiser of Kila Raipur Mini Olympics.

Many of the rural festivals hold competitions only in regular and modern sports. For example, at Jharkhar, near Kila Raipur, competitions are held in hockey, volleyball and kabaddi. They are both for men and women. From next year, says Jagroop Jharkhar, the Chief Organiser, competitions in basketball, track and field and wrestling may also be introduced.

The Punjab Basketball Association's Secretary, Teja Singh Dhaliwal,has offered to provide a basketball court at the venue of the annual festival. Harbhajan Singh Grewal and Daljit Singh Grewal, both of Kila Raipur, have volunteered to help in making a standard eight-lane track at the village stadium. In Mehmasinghwala, near Kila Raipur, Jaswant Singh Grewal, the first Punjabi to represent Great Britain in the Olympic Games, has financed the setting up of a football academy in the village.

These rural festivals have also given many countries their sporting heroes, Olympians and international stars. Wrestler Tiger Jeet Singh of Sujapur is a product of such festivals.

Alexi Grewal, who won the1984 Olympic Games road racing gold medal, is the son of an alumni of Government Mahendra College, Patiala. Alexi's father belongs to Narangwal village in Ludhiana.

Similarly, many hockey players who represented Canada, England, USA, New Zealand, Kenya, Uganda, Malaysia and other countries came through these rural sports festivals.