Kabaddi: A TN homecoming

Chennai

Kabaddi is to Tamil Nadu what chess is to India in sport. If India gave chess (chathuranga) to the world before the Europeans modified it and tailored it in its current form, the term kabaddi originated from Tamil words ‘kai pidi’, which means ‘to hold hands’. Kabaddi (as played in Tamil Nadu) underwent rule changes in the last 50 years and unlike chess, India could take pride from the fact that the rules framed by us are still in force at the international level. The sport is also referred to as ‘chadugudu’ in rural areas of Andhra Pradesh.  

It’s only fitting that Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, got to host the inaugural leg of 2018 Pro Kabaddi League, a league which revolutionised the sport. The festival kicked off from where it left last year, as the city had the privilege to hold the summit clash between Patna Pirates and Gujarat Fortunegiants in 2017. Live television coverage and instant updates have now taken the sport to every nook and corner of the country.

While there are places in the state which are still grasping the sport, almost every locality has a kabaddi team of its own in villages like Vaduvur (in Tanjavur district). Interestingly, Vaduvur has been home to a lot of international players. “As a token of reward, the Central Government has approved the proposal to build the first-ever indoor kabaddi stadium in our village,” said C Arun, the Tamil Thalaivas defender who hails from Vaduvur.

In the last decade, Tamil Nadu has had at least one representative in title-winning Indian teams which took part in international events like the Asian Games and the World Cup. While Jeeva Kumar and Rajaguru Subramanian tasted success at the Asian Games in 2010 and 2014 respectively, Dharmaraj Cheralathan was one of the senior-most players of the national side that finished first at the 2016 World Cup. Kasinathan Baskaran was a member of the coaching staff that guided India to triumph at the WC. As many as four players made it to the squad at the SAF Games in 1995, Tamil Nadu’s highest-ever representation thus far.

Curiously, the kabaddi-crazy state did not have a franchise in the inaugural edition of Pro Kabaddi League. TN was selected as one of the bases for the league, but it did not materialise as the franchise owner (unnamed) pulled out just ahead of the Season 1 auction. Rajesh V Shah came forward to buy the stakes and preferred Patna as his team’s home. As the league expanded in 2017, the local interest was protected with the addition of Tamil Thalaivas, which has cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar as one of its owners.

Kabaddi has always been a hot property in TN, according to Charu Sharma, the man who shaped the PKL. “One of my friends had been to a local tournament in Coimbatore. He told me that there were around 5,000 people who came to watch the proceedings. You get those numbers only when an indoor stadium is jam-packed. To my surprise, my friend added that fans were ready to pay up to Rs 500 to catch the action live. Him narrating the story gave me a picture of the passion the fans have for the sport (in TN). That gave me the strength to move forward with PKL in 2013,” said Charu ahead of Pro Kabaddi 2018 player auction.  

Chandigarh, a front-runner in circle style

Chandigarh is one of the other regional powerhouses that has contributed a lot to the national team. While TN practised the standard style right from the start, Chandigarh was a front-runner in the circle style, in which participants are mostly from wrestling backgrounds. The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India came into existence in 1972 and laid out a set of official rules.

Factfile

• Kabaddi was demonstrated by India at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
• Buddhist literature has a mention that Gautama Buddha played the sport with his peers
• Many believe kabaddi was played by Abhimanyu in the Mahabharata battle at Kurukshetra
• It is the only sport in which India has won all its World Cups. The next edition will be held in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) in 2019 
• Kabaddi made its appearance as an exhibition sport at the 1982 Asian Games but became a Games event only in 1990  
• The International Kabaddi Federation comprises 31 national associations
• The ‘Do or die raid’ is in place only now-a-days. Earlier, only an ‘unproductive point’ was granted to the opposition team if a side failed to score in three consecutive raids. The raider who went in for the third raid in sequence remained on the mat despite not scoring a point
• The Chennai leg of Pro Kabaddi 2018 recorded an average attendance of 3,500, according to the Tamil Thalaivas ticketing sales team. But, there has been a dip in numbers as compared to last year

THALAIVAS THEME SONG

Kodu potu Road’u Potu

We make markings and prepare space

Adhumela aatam potu

We play on top of that

Kabaddi aada varom da

We are coming to play kabaddi

Vazhi vittu nillu da

Pave way for us

Tamizh mannoda peruma

This is the pride of land of TN

Kabaddi enga urimai

Playing kabaddi is our right

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