Designed on the lines of modem Olympics lines, the Punjab, the sportsarm of India, witnesses between December and March every year holding of more than 200 Rural Sports Festivals, including the famed Rural Olympics at Kila Raipur.
Symbolizing communal harmony, universal brotherf1ood and peace, these festivals not only bring out the best of the ruralites of nine to 90 years, but also feature the animals and the machinery, which are integral part of their life style. Even two decades of turbulence, which claimed more than 20,000 lives, notwithstanding, these popular festivals stood the test of the time and thwarted all disruption attempts. An attempted bombing of the Kila Raipur Rural Olympics saw the Games emerging unscathed. People's massive turnout and support won against perpetrators of violence.
They bring together people from all walks of life, cutting across their political, religious and caste affiliations to participate and witness these mini-Olympics, who have with the passage of time proved to be true harbingers of peace, adventure leading to oneness of Punjabis in general and ruralites in particular.
Hardly any of the participants may be aware of the Olympic movement, the philosophy behind it, yet the spirit with which they compete in these festivals may not be substantially from world stars. Many of them have never ever seen the five Olympic rings what to talk of their symbolism. These pleasant ignorances apart, they compete in these festivals in true sportsman spirit to keep aloft the Olympic ideal of higher, swifter and faster.
A careful study reveals that the concepts of these Rural Festivals are interestingly modeled on the modem Olympics. For example, like the modern Olympics, which have free expression of corporal endurance and excellence in accompanying activity as the prime criteria to choose the best in a free and fair competition, so do they. Cultural festivals and exhibitions as the side attractions are, as in Olympic Games, integral part of these festivals. At Kila Raipur, for example, not only exhibitions on the latest farm practices, agricultural implements, handicrafts and other things are organised, cultural programmes dedicated to the rural folklore, are organised every evening on each of the four days of the festival.
These programmes feature top folk singers and during the day, dances and other events from other States, are also organised.
Frankly, the Rural Olympics of Punjab are a step ahead of modem Olympics. While separate Olympics are organised for special people -paraplegic, with handicaps, natural or otherwise -and also for the veterans, these festivals have them all together atone venue. Here, an 80-year young athlete can be seen rubbing shoulders with a 16-year-old girl taking part in track and field events. And an eight-year-old boy giving unbelievable display of "gatka" is responded by his 75-year-old grandfather riding a horse and making a perfect score in tent pegging. These are the features which make the Rural Olympics unique and complete.
The major attraction of these Rural Sports Festivals is certainly "Kabaddi", the biggest crowd puller. It is Rural Olympics time that brings together several "International" and "World Cup Kabaddi Tournaments".
These Kabaddi competitions, which invariably feature teams not only from all over Punjab, but also from overseas, especially the USA, the UK, Canada and mainland Europe, keep the audiences enthralled. The strength of overseas teams lies in Indian diaspora in general and Punjabis in particular. At times, they have been known to bring some Native Americans and Canadians, including Afro-Americans also.
Some of these festivals are organised to commemorate the memory of soldiers who made the supreme sacrifices for the country while others are organised to commemorate a historic or a religious occasion. The conduct is purely on voluntary basis. Taking a cue from the commercialization of sporting events worldwide, some of the major festivals have multinationals as their sponsors. Naturally, they have a wide TV viewership.
Winners in various competitions, both regular and indigenous events, are instantly rewarded, both by organisers and the audience. Cash prizes are showered on outstanding performers, especially in kabaddi, wrestling and bullock cart races –an event which is unique and similar to chariot racing of ancient Olympics.
The only difference, a major one, is the food. Compared to immense and rich variety of food available to participants in the Olympics, only simple vegetarian Punjabi food is given to participants as well as spectators, free of cost, through community kitchens.
The credit of introducing rural sports goes to Ludhiana. It was in early 1930s that some enterprising and affluent people from villages from this city who had been successful transporters in other parts of the country thought of introducing something unique for the people back home.
Since agriculture is the 'culture' of Punjab, they wanted not only to harness the hidden talent of their folks back home also provide some entertaining pastime. Between December and March, the farmers are virtually free. The wheat ripens becomes ready for harvesting in April. So after irrigating wheat fields in December, the farmers have little to do in their houses. The weather, too, starts opening up. With Spring around and 'mustard' spreading yellow blanket as a part of its bloom, 'sweetness' fills the air as the harvesting of sugarcane, guavas, malt fruits, including kinnow, also starts. The neat and clean environs, good weather, lot of free time with nutritious and fresh fruit and vegetables available in plenty, the tine becomes ideal for the full of life Punjabis, endowed with tremendous corporal strength, to slug it out. They work out their own ways and means to 'outsmart each other".
It is why they not only get busy to their 'sharpen their physical skills' but also get their cattle and pets ready for the competitions not in their own village but also in nearby areas.
'Bullock cart races', camel race, races for horses, carts, various equestrian events, including tent pegging and dressage, are among some unique attractions of some of the bigger and established rural sports festivals. At places, farmers scan various cattle fairs to look for a special breed of bullocks which are only used for 'bullock cart and suhaga races'. 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 'unbelievable' events which are performed year after year at these festivals.
At places, Nihang Sikhs, popularly known as 'Guru ki ladli fauj' (Beloved army of last Sikh Guru), also join these festivals 10 display their acumen in horse riding, tent pegging, martial sports like 'gatka' and archery. Of late the appeal of these festivals has echoed across the length and breadth of the country. Archers from various tribal areas of Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttaranchal have come and participated in Kila Raipur festival.
'Our effort has been to blend tradition with modernity. Way back in early 30s when we introduced Bhagwant Gold Cup Hockey Tournament, stars like hockey wizard Dhyan Chand, came to Kila Raipur,' recalls Sukhvir Grewal Chief organiser of Kila Raipur Rural Olympics.
'Shooting, wrestling on synthetic mats, track and field, hockey and cycling are some of the modem sports which have become an integral part of our Rural Olympics," Sukhvir Grewal says, maintaining that any participant with any indigenous event irrespective of his background, is given time to display his skills during the festival.
A couple of years ago, organisers of some of the Rural Festivals faced an uphill task when the district authorities imposed a blanket ban on participation of animals. This was done at the instance of the instructions from Union Ministry of Social Empowerment and organisations like People for Animals and Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The organisers went back to veterinarians and other experts on animals to prove that the ban was 'unwarranted' as animals, too, need good care and proper upbringing. They denied the accusation of 'cruelty' maintaining that animals, especially bullocks used in cart races, were not only expensive, but were brought up like children by farmers.
Some of the events, including 'fights', were discontinued after the organisers admitted that 'cruelty was involved in such fights'. The organisers offered that any veterinary doctor could examine the bullocks before or after the race to ensure that they were neither drugged nor nailed to perform better in the races.
Local contributions apart, it is Indians settled abroad who contribute financially for these festivals to sustain year after year. In Mehmasinghwala, near Kila Raipur, Mr Jaswant Singh Grewal, first Punjabi to represent Great Britain in Olympic Games, has financed setting up of a football academy in the village. He has also promised to get the village stadium completed at the earliest.
Strange it may sound; these rural festivals have given many countries their sporting heroes, Olympians and international stars. Wrestler Tiger Jeet Singh of Sujapur is a product of such festivals.
Many may not be aware that Alexi Grewal who won the 1984 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.
These rural meets are nurseries where talent is nurtured, groomed and given the first lesson in competitions. They are no doubt mini Olympics, representing and reflecting the Olympic spirit in its true colours. |
