Keeping traditional sports alive
Dipa Chakma is 40 now. But she still can't let go of the temptation of playing traditional sports whenever the Biju festival, which the Chakma community observes to mark the New Year, arrives. Here she is playing ghila khela, a game which features five participants in each team where the objective is to hit the bearing from a particular distance, during the day-long traditional sports competition at the Rangamati Stadium yesterday. Dipa has been playing this game since her childhood and she wants to make sure that it is passed on from generation to generation so that traditional games like these are not lost. The day-long festival also featured games like bash haroom (walking with the support of long bamboo), gudhu (similar to kabaddi), nadeng (spin top), potti (a team game where a raider chases and touches one or a number of opposition team players) and foor (a team game where a player has to cross six steps outfoxing the opponents). The event is a part of the Biju festival that commences from April 12 and continues till April 14.
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