Buddhiya Kabbadi Tournament, 17-20 February 2011

Kabbadi was a popular sport in whole of Indian subcontinent since ancient times and though its popularity is now restricted to a few schools and national championships, it still exists in the rural hearts and lean bodies, in the open fields of a summer evening, in the cheers of the passionate spectators and is often referred to it in name by some local variants Buddhiya kabbadi or Chi.

In India it is pretty hard to beat the popularity of Cricket to the extent that Field Hockey and Soccer has to often lean on Cricket and Bollywood celebrities for its promotion so it is not surprising that Buddhiya Kabbadi is dying a slow death and of course the name doesn’t inspire much confidence in the game either.

Some may find it surprising that we chose to bring the attention back this particular game instead of many others that are suffering a similar fate but this particular sport still evokes the team spirit in players and spectators alike that we wish to rekindle. It is all about the community and what the community places emphasis on.

So Buddhiya Kabbadi it is.
Championship that is; and you are invited to witness the vigor and cheer your own teams and be a part of the community

The sport was played in rural area of Magadha region for centuries and it was mostly an evening sport to display strength and strategy and develop community spirit. In its primitive state it is very raw and needed to be modified suitably so that the new followers can participate, track and keep scores. Keeping in mind that the popularity of the game is suffering, points system are introduced so that a long term approach can be build and at the same time individual performance and team performance can also be rewarded.

History of the game

Kabaddi in Hindi means holding of Breath. Modern Kabaddi is a synthesis of the game played in various forms under different names throughout South Asia. Buddhiya Kabaddi is one such ancient sport which has its origin in Magadh region and is still a popular sport among the rural youth. It was probably invented to ward off the group attacks. History reveals that princes played to display their strength and win their brides. The game has many popular local versions. Salle-Maan-Chi is a popular chant for the raiders in the game and the game therefore is also locally popular by name “CHI”.

Skill required
Running, Quickness, Observation

About the game
The game consists of two teams the Raider and the Defender with 9 players each in the field. There are two circular posts called “castle” and “outpost” at the opposite ends inside the bigger oval field. Dimensions of the ground are fixed on mutual agreement. Raiders are occupants of the caste and the outpost while the Defenders occupy the outfield. The raiders have 8 players in the castle and one Buddhiya trapped in the outpost. The defender/raider that is “OUT” shall be sent off the field. Raiders’ objective is to facilitate escape of the Buddhiya trapped at the outpost; they do this by raiding the defenders and “OUT” them. A player can also get “OUT” by going over a boundary line or part of the body touches the ground outside the boundary.Defenders are spread in the field preventing escape of the Buddhiya. The raiders win if the Buddhiya successfully joins them at castle without being touched by the defenders. Defenders win if they prevent the escape of the Buddhiya in the stipulated time or they touch the Buddhiya while she is on her escape run towards the castle. The match has two half of 20 minutes and the raider in 1st half becomes defender in the 2nd half. The match revolves around the Buddhiya the Buddhiya has to escape from the outpost for castle in the stipulated time. In the respective “half” if the Buddhiya is successful or unsuccessful in her escape from outpost to the castle the “half” is complete. The team winning the toss shall choose to either raid or defend in the first half.

How to play

Raiders
1. At one time only one raider can go for raid
2. Raider shall chant “Salle-Maan-Chi” without breaking the breath while raiding. The chant shall be loud enough and audible.
3. A raider can stay at the outpost while raiding but can not go for the raid from the outpost. Raiders staying at outpost are called “Dead” raiders till they reach back successfully to the castle
4. Raider(s) at the outpost can return back to the castle if one of the raider (Carrier) goes to pick them and successfully (holding the breath) returns back. If the “Carrier” breaks the breath and is touched by the defender then all picked “Dead” raiders and the “Carrier” are “OUT”
5. A “Dead” raider can risk escaping (without help of the “Carrier”) from the outpost for the castle without getting touched by the defenders
6. At any time no more than two raiders can be outside the Castle and Outpost. In such case if a defender touches them one (first to be touched) of them shall be “OUT”
7. Raider has to chant “Salle-Man-Chi” while raiding and shall not break the breath while outside the Castle or Outpost. If the raider breaks the breath and is touched by the defender then he is “OUT”
8. If raider touches the defenders while raiding and successfully returns into the castle or outpost then the defender(s) is “OUT”.

Defenders
1. Defenders shall occupy the outfield divided in six cells
2. No more than 2 players shall ever occupy one cell during a raid
3. In case any third player enters the cell then the last player to occupy shall be declared “OUT”
4. Objective of the defending team is to prevent a successful escape of Buddhiya in stipulated time period



The  Court



Points

1. Each raider (except Buddhiya) and the defender has 10 points on one’s head
2. For each “OUT” defender or the raider the respective team loses 10 points
3. For a successful escape of Buddhiya the Raider team gets 50 points
4. For the unsuccessful attempt by Buddhiya the Defender shall get 50 points
5. If the Defenders successfully prevent the escape of the Buddhiya in the stipulated time then the Defender get 30 points
6. An individual player shall get 10 points for each player he “out”
7. The player who “OUT” Buddhiya shall gain 50 points
8. Buddhiya shall gain individual 50 points for successful escape
9. Maximum points the raider team can accumulate is 130
10. Maximum points a defender team can accumulate is 140
11. Maximum point an individual raider can accumulate is 90
12. Maximum point an individual defender can accumulate is 130
13. Maximum points a individual can accumulate as defender and raider is 220