Lesser known sports in India you need to know about!

There’s always a flip side to everything in the world. Even a coin does!

So does the most glorified and celebrated genre which unites the nation into one strand. Sports is something the nation wants and desires to earn medals. But we fail to actually realize how much more do sports mean to some. For some it might be a way to earn a living, for others it might be a way to bring pride to the nation. Whereas for some it means being the best!

Different people, different thoughts! That is how India is but what unites us all at a go is Sports. We as a society seem to glorify some sports whereas we forget completely about the others. No doubt that is a mere human tendency. But there exist some sports that have a magnificent history and have infinite caliber for us to acknowledge.

Here’s the list of 5 such sports we forget to notice but they have paved their way into our hearts, unnoticed.

• Vallamkali:

Team spirit is the ultimate winning spirit. We’ve heard this a hundred of times. But how many times while playing we’ve actually followed this? Hard to think, right?

This snake boat race of Alleppey in Kerala drives home. During the Onam festival, the second Saturday of August every year is for the Nehru Trophy championship race. This sees to racing teams assemble along the backwaters of Alleppey in traditional long boats.

Moving with grace, and the fierce rhythm like that of a predator, the paddlers in a team work in perfect synchronization, egged on by the cheering crowds as much as their on-boat cheerleaders.

• Kambala buffalo race:

In the lush greenery of the paddy fields and their slush and mud serves because the backdrop for a popular buffalo race called Kambala. Over a 5-month period from November to March, over 45 buffalo races are held in the villages along Karnataka’s coastline with farmers racing a couple of their fastest buffaloes.

A rural event that generates a lot of enthusiastic participation fed by cheering crowds. Kambala was originally conceived as a symbolic thanksgiving to the Almighty for keeping the buffaloes protected against diseases.

• Gatka:

In the event of the Mughals invading India, the Sikhs developed Gatka as self defense and martial art form to be used in self-defense. With actions performed to the accompaniment of drums and chanting of the holy verses. This sport of Punjab draws its name from the wooden sticks utilized for sparring. Two competing participants attack one another with wooden staves, mimicking the act of swords; at times a shield is also used.

• Elephant polo:

We are aware of polo played on steeds and in the water. However, you most likely don’t have any acquaintance with it is played with elephants, as well!

Obviously, this type of the amusement seems to be interminable given the enormous size of the creatures and the measure of time it takes the player to move them around to hit the ball.

Every player is given three opportunities to hit the ball without snaring the sticks. And not more than two elephants of a group can be available in any one portion of the play field. Elephants can’t rest before achieving their objectives, or utilize their trunks to get balls. Accepted to have started amid the 1900s, this diversion is similarly well known among the women who are permitted to utilize the two hands to hold the polo stick. While on the other hand for men playing the amusement must utilize only one.

• Kalarippayattu:

This is one of the more known games in our rundown of the lesser known Indian games, an average military fine art of Kerala. Kalarippayattu has been hailed as the “mother of all military arts.” Although it comprises of striking and kicking activity frequently joined by the utilization of weapons in self-preservation. This work of art is set apart by an intrinsic elegance that makes it a joy to watch.

Well, may be its time that our nation starts recognizing these sports in a much similar light as other glorified ones.

Or these are just going to perish under the weight of our unjust human acts!