How’zat?……Kashmiri heritage games lost (Out) ……….

Abid Gowhar

Have we forgotten our past in the sports competitions like in other walks of life?. We see change, change and change everywhere but there may be some people who might have something in their remembrance before they feel the ensuing changes in the sports and games arena of the valley. Since the introduction of instant popular games like football and cricket in Kashmir, how many of us know that there were some other games being played in every nook and corner of the valley few decades ago. The games are now seen rarely played by anyone in Kashmir. But one can not erase the history of those games, which were more popular than any other game of the present times. They had their own way and style, they had their chaste and craze and those ancient games had their jubilant winners, cheers and the entertainment players.
Today when Kashmiri children are totally involved between the stumps and goal posts, the local games being played for centuries in the valley have been bowled out. The indigenous games once played in the valley have much common with those of rest of India. For example “ Suza-Loung” of Kashmir was familiar as “ Paandi” in south India and “ Lathkeeji-Loth” in Kashmir would mean Gilli-danda in rest of the country. The dragon-fly has figured in rural games and what adds to the interest is the game of “Trupas”, the pebble-game once upon a time being played by rural youth comprising both boys and girls. The interesting part of these games was that, they were being played without any decisions of a third person like not having any vigilance of an umpire or referee.
“Souza-Loung”: An outdoor game played with “Souza’ a small baked rounded earthen disc. A player has to “lounge” (hop) on one leg while driving out “Souza’ with the push of the front toe from various rectangular regions of the playing court. The court usually measures 3 meter x 2 meter consisting of six or eight equal regions made on hard level ground. It is a team as well as an individual game.
The team starts playing the “Souza-Loung” first makes “Tresh-Thaph” called toss in present day games. “Tresh” means disc wet on one side and “ Thaph” means the disc dry on the other side. The disc (Souza) is tossed up in the air. The team leader asks his/her opponent to choose the side Tresh (wet side) or Taaph (dry side). After winning the toss, a player of that team starts playing. A player throws Souza in the lower most “ Khana” and then hops inside the court and drives out Souza. If a player while hoping treads on the line of the rectangular “ Khana” or the Souza while being pushed comes to rest just on the line, or is driven out of “khana” of the court the player has to quite. If these misfortunes don’t come his way, he goes on gaining the territories of the playing court by the same process of “Souza” driving by hoping. Children get exercised and entertained by the hoping. They used to learn to be cautious while being active.
Lathkinj-Loth
It is a game called “Gilli-Danda” in other parts of India. “Lathkenj (Gilli)” is a small but a strong piece of wood, about 15 to 18 cms long with edges tapering on both sides. The diameter is usually 2-4 cms. Loth(Danda) is a strong piece of hard wood, 8-11 cms in diameter and about 50 cms long usually three times the size of Lathkenj.
The game can be played in pairs or individually by two or four players. If the players are in pairs, a pair of Lathkenj and Loth is used.
In order to decide which team has to play first, a team leader from each side starts “Barish” by turns. Barish means the number of times one is able to toss the Leathkej in the air with the help of Loth without letting it fall to the ground. The one who make the bigger count has to play first.
The game starts after hitting the Lathkenj with a Loth, close to a circle called Suta, which is made on the ground, having the radius normally equal to the length of the Loth.
The opponent runs up to the places where Lathkenj has fallen. He picks it and thrown it towards the Suta. The player again thrashes the Lathkenj away from the Suta while it is still in the air to any corner of the vast fields. The process goes on like this. If the lathkenj is caught by the opponent in the air or it if falls inside the circle while being thrown, the player is declared out. Again a player is out if he is not able to keep the Lathkenj away from Suta beyond a distance seven times length of Loth. In such a case, the opponent may succeed in throwing the Lathkenj inside the Suta and the player has to go giving the opponent his chance to play with Lathkenj.
There is much running in this game and carries much needed skills of hitting and throwing like in modern day cricket game. .
Trupas
Trupas played mostly by young girls in rural areas is an indoor game and has to do with five small rounded pebbles almost equal in dimension. The game is played (sitting on the ground) with one’s left or right hand.
Yes….. Any person (male or female) presently above or around forty years of age can describe the chaste of playing Trupas. Another part of playing with small pebbles was to play “ Panchas”, a game of five small pebbles.
The player takes the Trupas in her hand and scatters them on the floor in front of her. The game starts by picking one of them throwing it up n the air and picking the other pebbles from the floor first in singles and then in doubles without letting the pebble in the air to fall on the ground. The other girls sit around watching the feat and waiting for their turn.
The number of players is usually four and the game is played individually. Only a player who holds the maximum number of Trupas (pebbles) on the upper side of the hand while tossing the all simultaneously, play first and then the player on her right side takes her turn. If any pebble, while lifting other from the floor, falls or touches any other pebble, the player is declared out.
The game has once enlivened the lives of Kashmiris and it is now western songs and film music that holds the air.
Apart from above mentioned games, there are many other rural games played once in every season in valley but now the playing rules of such games have been wiped off from the memories after the introduction of limited over cricket. Children now know only about the dubious decisions of LBW and whether the benefit of doubt given by the umpire holds true or not. Alas! The Kashmir heritage games are lost in the fray of modern-day games and fashion-sports.
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