Punjabi Kabaddi : Discovering Strength of Punjabis

By Jobandeep Singh

"ਬੜਾ ਔਖਾ ਹੁੰਦਾਂ ੲੈ ਅਖਾੜੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਗਜਣਾ ,

ਜਾਫੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਨਹੀ ਸੌਖਾ ਹੁੰਦਾਂ  ਹੱਥ ਲਾ ਕੇ ਭੱਜਣਾ ,

 ਨੈਣਾ ਤੋਂ ਨੀ ਖਾਦੀ ਕਦੇ ਠੱਗੀ ਮਿੱਤਰੋ ,

ਖੇਡ ਦੇ ਗੱਬਰੂ ਕਬੱਡੀ ਮਿੱਤਰੋ..."

Kabaddi is considered the mother sport of Punjabis. There is hardly any Punjabi who is not involved with Kabaddi as a player or spectator. Kabaddi is the most popular sport in today's rural Punjab. Punjabis are so attracted to this sport that they would prefer to watch Kabaddi on the one hand while the Olympic Games are being held on the other. This game is so popular among the villagers that thousands of spectators join even the ordinary matches of the villages. In 1974, when the Punjab Kabaddi team went to London to play a match against the English Punjabi team, a park in Southall was packed with spectators. The natives were wondering what kind of game this is which the Punjabis working , who put in overtime are watching it.

Historical Significance of Punjabi Kabaddi

The word Kabaddi is derived from 'kabad', which means,' Kabba' in Punjabi or dangerous in English. Dhaavi (Raider) says 'kabaddi kabaddi 'runs as if to say, "I am Kabba, escape from me." Next Kabba is attacked by Kabba and the strong one wins. Through this game, a glimpse of the nature of  Punjabis can be witnessed . The game of Kabaddi is an integral part of Punjabi culture, This game naturally originated from the geography and history of Punjab. The land of Punjab has been the ground of wars for centuries because Punjab was considered as the only gateway to India and most away of the foreign invaders had to pass Punjab to enter India . The history of Punjab is shaped through the game of Kabaddi. For example, a player who is playing kabaddi will attack in the form of a striker. A player next moves to face him as if blocking an attack. If the assailant is strong, he defeats the defender and conquers him and returns home happily. If  there are strong ones in front, then he himself is defeated. This is the history of Punjab. If the invader invaded Punjab and was strong enough , he killed and plundered the Punjabis, and if he was weak, he was taken to the verge of death.

Traditional Styles Of Punjabi Kabaddi

1. Saunchi Pakki : 

Saunchi kabaddi  can best be described as being similar to boxing. It is popular in the Malwa area of Punjab. It is unlimited players with a circular playing pitch. A bamboo with red cloth is dug into the ground which is paraded by the winner. In this game , the raider will hit the defender but only on the chest. The defender will then hold the raiders wrist. A foul is declared if any other part of the body is grabbed. If the defender holds the raiders wrist and restricts his movement, he will be declared the winner. If the raider loses the grip of the defender, then the raider will be the winner.

2. Ambalvi Kaudi :

In Ambalvi Kabaddi the radius of playing area is small , thus , the raider could be caught by all

of the defenders. In order to score point the raider has to cross or touch starting line .

3. Lahori Kaudi:

In Lahori kaudi there is no boundary to playable area. There are only six piles. Raider and defender stand on piles and have to touch the pile of the opposition or return home by taking a round.

4. Ambarsari Kaudi:

In Ambarsari Kaudi also known as Chup Kaudi the raider does not need to speak 

"kaudi, kaudi". In this style the raider and defender may get engaged into physical 

fight.

Some other styles are : 

• Lyallpur kaudi
• Firozpuri kaudi
• Lambi kaudi
• Chhe Handhi 
• Shamiali wali 
• Peer kauddi 
• Badhi 
• Baithvi
• Burjia wali 
• Ghorh kabaddi
• Daudhey 
• Cheervi etc.

Punjab Style Kabaddi

Punjab Style Kabaddi also known as Circle Style Kabaddi is played in a circle of 22 meters. Earlier it was a circle of fifteen feet. Now open to a length of radius 22 meters and a circle is drawn from the center around. A straight line gap is drawn in between. Between that gap, two piles are placed at a distance of 6 meters, which are called handhis. In these, the player has to go and return back . Each team has 14 players , out of which 4 players each are reserved. One team stands on one side of the gap and the other on the other side. Sports wear is only raw, but now some players have started to wear knickers as well. The match time of the game is twenty five to twenty minutes. The toss is decided by tossing a coin and the team winning the toss can go on to raid or defend the first time. The team with more points is considered the winner. In case of equal points, the team that scores first pint is declared the winner. There are two games , one time manager and two lineman . Slaps are not allowed while playing Kabaddi. Twisting a limb or intentionally causing injury is also considered foul play.

Major Tournaments Conducted

There are over 1,000 kabaddi tournaments held in Punjab some of which include the following :

1.Rurka Kalan Kabaddi tournament

2.Udham Singh Kabaddi Cup, Fattu Dhinga (Kapurthala).

3.Baba Hastana Singh Kabaddi tournament, Khiranwali (Kapurthala).

4.Hakimpur Kabaddi Games.

5.Mothada Kalan Kabaddi tournament.

6.Sant Maharaj Ishar Singh Ji Rara Sahib Kabaddi tournament

7.Sant baba ram saroop kabaddi cup, Pipli (Faridkot)

8.Gholia kalan kabaddi cup, Moga District

9.Badowal kabaddi cup, Ludhiana District

10.Dirba kabaddi cup

Iconic Players Of Punjabi Kabaddi

1. Harjeet Singh Brar (5 September 1971 – 16 April 1998)

Harjeet Singh Brar also known as Bajakhana  was a professional kabaddi player. He was a raider in circle style kabaddi. Harjeet Brar was born in Bajakhana village in Faridkot district of Punjab.He made his international debut in 1994, when he came to play in Canada.His redoubtable qualities and the respect he showed for opponents soon made him a popular figure. Harjit Bajakhana became a synonym to Kabaddi. During the final of 1996 Kabaddi World Cup, prize money of one lakh Rupees was awarded for his single winning raid. At one time in Canada, his one raid attracted a bet of $100,000.00, such was his stature. On 16 April 1998, Harjeet Brar Bajakhana was killed in a tragic road accident along with three other prominent Kabbadi players, Talwar Kaonke, Kewal Lopoke and Kewal Sekha. Sukhchain Singh of Sidhwan Kalan village sustained serious injuries and was admitted to PGI. Following his treatment he was discharged from the hospital. According to their family members, Kabaddi players were on their way to New Delhi to acquire visas for their travel abroad. It led to the killing of four of them on the spot and seriously injuring the fifth occupant. All four Kabaddi players were brought to a Kharar Hospital. Following the post-mortem examination, their bodies were subsequently released to their relatives. Harjit Bajakhana's death brought an abrupt end of an era. Harjeet Bajakhana had achieved what no other Kabaddi player could.

2. Sandeep Singh Sandhu( 1983 – 14 March 2022)

Sandeep Singh Sandhu also popularly known as Sandeep Nangal Ambian ( 1983 – 14 March 2022) was a British-Indian kabaddi player who played in the position of a stopper. He had represented both India and the United Kingdom in international kabaddi matches. He also captained both India and UK kabaddi teams. He settled in West Bromwich, UK in around 2007.Sandeep was also well known for his efforts to eradicate drug menace and the issue of drug intake among youth through sports. He hailed from Nangal Ambian village in Shahkot and he apparently received the stage name Nangal Ambian indicating the place of his birth. He started his playing career by playing state level matches before becoming a pro. He had competed in various kabaddi leagues in United Kingdom, New Zealand, United States and Australia. He captained the Singhs team in the inaugural edition of the World Kabaddi League in 2014 and under his captaincy, Singhs emerged as the champions after a hard fought battle by defeating Khalsa Warriors 58-55 . He also won the player of the final award during the final of the 2014 World Kabaddi League tournament for his all-round display. In 2016 season Sandeep played for Bhagat Singh Abbotsford Kabaddi Club as part of a legendary stop line that went on to win a record of eight out of ten tournaments in BC. He served as the President of the Major League Kabaddi Federation as well as the President of the Shahkot Lions Kabaddi Cup. He was assassinated on 14 March 2022 in Mallian Khurd, outside Jalandhar, in Punjab by unidentified gunmen when he was on a family trip from UK to his native country India to watch a kabaddi tournament at his hometown.

Punjabis love kabaddi so much that wherever they go, they still contribute 

either by participating in kabaddi match or contributing money to the federations. Someone has rightly said

"ਪ੍ਰਦੇਸਾਂ 'ਚੋਂ ਆਉਂਦੇ ਨੇ ਪ੍ਰਵਾਸੀ ਵੀਰੇ,

ਮਾਂ ਖੇਡ ਨਾਲ ਇਸ਼ਕ ਨਿਭਾਉਣ ਦੇ ਲਈ, 

ਜਿਹੜੇ ਨਹੀ ਆਉਂਦੇ ਉਹ ਪੈਸੇ ਪਾਉਂਦੇ ਨੇ,

ਕਬੱਡੀ ਦਾ ਕਰਜ ਚਕਾਉਂਣ ਦੇ ਲਈ."