Rustic romp

“Yeh India Ka Olympics Hai,” 12-year-old Kanha sums it up aptly. He is one of the youngest and most energetic ‘cheer leaders’ at the Jaggaur village where rural India is displaying its sporting best. The audience strength is equally heartening,though one has to make do with stadium without seats,tracks without the white strips,sportsmen with no tracksuits and coaches without jerseys.

“Their sporting spirit and enthusiasm make up for whatever is lacking,” says AK Saxena,the man behind the show.

There are as many as 31 rural games most villagers have grown up playing,that comprise the Rural Olympics.

Interestingly,instead of medals,the winners take packs of desi ghee for beating the rest at milking buffalo,throwing a brick,weaving a basket,tang-n-dang (Gilli Danda for the uninitiated),or kite flying.

As ‘tug-o-war’ begins between Haryana and Ferozabad,girls in salwar kameez get into action,the crowd chanting “zor laga ke haisha”.”We want these games to accepted nationally like kabaddi,kho-kho and wrestling (dangal) which have their roots in villages,” says Saxena.

Participants here are not just from Uttar Pradesh. “They are here also from Delhi,Haryana,West Bengal,Gujarat,Punjab,Rajasthan and Madhya > Pradesh,” says Saxena.

“Over 600 have arrived here for the event,” he says showing the class rooms in schools that have been turned into bedrooms. As for the rules,while you can not run with a sport shoes on,helmets were not allowed for cycle race. Similarly,to win a ‘medal’ in swimming you ought not to be in costume. “The traditional underwear would do,” says Saxena explaining the move to award winners with containers of ghee,packets of cooking oil,blankets,clothes,stock of cereals and several such items.

“Trophies and medals do not hold much importance for rural participants. They want to get rewarded with items they can use daily. Besides,they have no fancy homes where they could adorn the showpieces,” he says. As for the funds,arranging them was a challenge.

“We have raised it on our own like we use to collect ‘chanda’ (contributions) for the games we played,” says Saxena.