Rural Games of Punjab

Normally you can meet old players in the villages. Now-a- days you can see a big level tournament in villages. As like Kabbaddi, Volleyball, Dog’s race, Cart race, Cycle race, aged people race and many more. In this way people get together.

In villages which formed the first habitation of civilized man rural sports grew out of sheer necessity. The need for cultivating individual strength for labour on the fields, the interdependence within the community and need of defense, joint defense against onslaughts of a common foe and dangerous animals must have given birth to sports like wrestling, running, jumping, weightlifting and such performing arts as of measuring strength by holding wrists, twisting hands. Kabaddi which is another expression of the same spirit has become the mother of games in Punjab.

During the Hola Mohalla celebrations at Anandpur Sahib tent pegging competitions, archery, fencing and riding competitions, gymnastic and acrobatic displays which the Nihangs put up and the tournaments held at Diwali have a hoary history.

Nowadays in almost 7000 villages in Punjab in one decade or the other rural sports competitions are being held. Rural folk organize them. It is they who extend all hospitality to the competitors also. In fact these village sports have opened the floodgates of village development.