The Desi Olympics

SOME states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu conduct what can be called ‘rural Olympics’. However, Punjab has the distinction of hosting the oldest rural Olympics in the country. Kila Raipur, a dusty town near Ludhiana, has been organizing the sports fest since 1933 with the idea of revitalizing traditional games that are fast losing ground to more popular modern-day games.

The three-day sports fest, held every February, attracts participants not only from India, but also from Canada, USA, Singapore and England! Be it kabaddi, cart-racing or tent pegging, the young and the old alike display an amazing spirit and ability. Particularly noteworthy is the 100m sprint for 75-year-olds and above. The sprightly septuagenarians can put 20-yearolds to shame!

There are bizarre competitions like lifting bicycles and pulling tractors by the teeth, or lying on a bed of nails with a heavy stone on the chest while another man breaks the stone with a hammer. An event which attracts huge crowds is the bullock cart race, where the prize money is worth lakhs of rupees.

Each day of the festival ends with a cultural programme where folk singers, bhangra and gidha dancers entertain the crowds until well past midnight.

The games help to bind communities together, and with the local sports bodies and sponsors throwing their weight behind them, contribute towards the development of the villages, as also instill the spirit of sportsmanship in the masses.