Sports
Punjab's Rural Olympics
It is robust Punjab at its showy best.
Imagine the Highland Games. Throw in Canada's Annual Plowing Match. Add a pinch of the Olympics ... without, of course the business, the greed and the drugs. Some saffron. A full load of joie de vivre. Punjabi warmth. And swagger.
You'll find yourself in the village of Qila Raipur in February, standing in a rustic stadium filled with thousands, enveloped by a world that caters to each of the senses ... and lots of dust.
The Qila Raipur Sports Festival is a 72 year old institution. More popularly known as the Rural Olympics of Punjab, they are held in February each year. The Grewal Sports Stadium in Qila Raipur comes alive as hundreds of participants and thousands of spectators make a beeline for this community, only a short distance from Ludhiana. It is hosted by the village ... this year, Sukhvir Singh Grewal, a former international hockey player, was its chief coordinator.
While the Bullock Race, first introduced by Bakshish Singh in 1946, is the most popular event of the games, there is a full gamut of competitive sports: athletics, gymnastics, horsemanship, dog races, tractor races, martial arts .... you name it and they have it! There's even a competition for loading and unloading tractor trailers. After all, a good portion of the transportation industry of the country is run by Punjabis.
The grounds are spread out as far as you can see in every direction, to accommodate the multiplicity of events going on simultaneously. It is said that it is impossible for a person to witness all of the attractions in any given year. A volleyball match here, gatka competitions there, horsemanship on the fields next over, weightlifting beyond ... and dances everywhere.
And what transformations before your very eyes! Fiercely competitive young girls clad in shorts during athletics, without a trace of self-consciousness, switch to toe-to-top covered gigglers minutes after their events, to dance the gidda!
It is impressive to see how the local hosts maintain the decorum and sanctity of sportsmanship throughout the days, offering legendary Punjabi hospitality to all who come from far and wide. Extraordinary efforts are made to ensure that the competition is entirely drug free. The competitors, both human and animal, are tested over and over again!
Hordes of visitors from abroad - mostly Punjabis returning to visit family and friends - play a special role. They put their money (dollars!) where their mouth is: substantial cash prizes are tied to the most popular events....Raju from London, Sodhi from "Amrika", Himmat Singh from "Kaneta", all shower greenbacks on their favourites, or those who have dazzled the crowds, even if they don't win. An ox is injured: people rush to offer money for its treatment. There is a lot of heart and soul in the air!
There are cultural events like Bhangra, Gidda, Rajasthani dances ...and singers galore.
It is a unique blend of colours, smells and sound, turbans and chunnis; of boundless energy and action, victory and defeat, and a lot of fun and camaraderie thrown in for good measure.
The Qila Raipur Games showcase punjabiat at its very best.
[Photos: courtesy - S. Roopinder Singh, Chandigarh]
Conversation about this article
1: D. van der Schans (Netherlands), January 13, 2010, 12:28 PM.
Does anybody know when the Rural Olympics in Punjab are taking place in February 2010? [Editor: It appears that this year's Qila Raipur Games will be held February 6 to 9.]
2: Japinder (Noida, India), February 08, 2010, 12:23 PM.
As far as my knowledge goes the Games are from 18th to 21st Feb, 2010.