Traditional Sports Festival starts today

A first-ever Traditional Sports Festival is starting on Friday (today) for the residents of twin cities to enjoy the diminishing centuries-old games once played in the sub-continent.

The two-day event being organised by the Directorate of Sports, Culture and Tourism at the Rose and Jasmine Garden will bring back memories of traditional sports.

Metropolitan Cooperation Islamabad (MCI) focal person Dr M. Abdullah Tabassum said, "This is the first time such a sports festival is being organised. We hope to revive cherished memories and the love of our traditional sports - some of which are rarely played in rural areas.”

Tug of War, ‘Pittu Garam’ (Seven Stones), ‘Kokla Chapaki’ (Handkerchief Dropping) and Hopscotch for women will be played during the event.

In Seven Stones - a South Asian game about 5,000 years old - players usually consist of two teams in a large area consisting of a pile of rocks and a tennis ball.

Handkerchief Dropping is another popular game, mostly played by young girls on the streets and inside the house. One participant in the game usually carries a dupatta or a whip made out of a piece of cloth, while the other sits in a circle. The urchin sings, hitting whoever tries to grab the cloth with a whip. In this game, the participant's eyes are closed with a cloth so that he is not allowed to see the hitter.

Sports Culture and Tourism CDA/MCI Director Aamir Shehzad said that the purpose of organising a traditional sports festival was to highlight the old and traditional sports and to introduce them to the new generation.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2022.