Panipat: Kabaddi craze shapes champions in Burshyam

At Burshyam village, kabaddi is not merely a game, it is a tradition. Over 3.5 decades, the villagers have grown up playing kabaddi. The village has a proud history of producing two Arjun Awardees, eight international kabaddi players and 150 national-level kabaddi players.

Kabaddi has also changed many lives here as over 60 villagers have been given government jobs on the basis of the game. Interestingly, bride Ritu Negi of the village is at present leading the Indian women kabaddi team.

A huge number of medals, trophies and winning cups, including Ajun Awards tell the story of success of the kabaddi players, giving the village a unique identity at the national and international level.

Rajender Gulia, a kabaddi player posted in the Haryana Police, and former treasurer of the Haryana Kabaddi Association said kabaddi came to the village in 1990.

Rohtas Birwal, who was a wrestler in Kasandi village, started the Circle Kabaddi in the village in 1990. Earlier, the villagers were playing only volleyball and they also began playing Circle Kabaddi.

But, in 1991, Dr Rajender Singh, a veterinary specialist, was posted and he called 15-20 kabaddi players from Rindhana village of Sonepat district to the village and the team stayed at their village for around one month.

“Rindhana village was already renowned for national kabaddi, and the players there were technically very sound. The Rindhana boys began national kabaddi in our village and trained our village team for one month in 1991,” he said.

“After 1991, our village never looked back, and kabaddi became the most sought after game in the village,” Gulia asserted.

Kabaddi not only gave name, fame and pride to the village, but also changed the lives of the players, as over 60 players have got government jobs in various departments of the Central Government and the state governments.

Over 60 players of the villager are at present serving in the Indian Air Force, Navy, Indian Army, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indian Tibet Border Police (ITBP), Haryana Police, ONGC, Railways, BSNL, MP Police and other departments, he said.

Interestingly, all players selected are in the main playing team and players of Burshyam do not sit as an extra player as they are very sound technically, he said. Due to the achievements of the players, former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala had given a special hostel nursery of 20 players to the village and all expenses of the players was borne by the government.

The village also has an indoor stadium for kabaddi, he said.Two players of the village – Surjeet Narwal, and Ritu Negi, who is leading the Indian women kabaddi team, are Arjun Awardees, while Jasvir Birwal, Surjeet Narwal, Jasmer Gulia, and Jasmer Birwal are Asian gold medallists, Satish Gulia, who is the Air Force team coach is an indoor Asian Gold medallist, and Anil Gulia of the village is a Junior Asian Game gold medallist.

At present 70-80 children of Burshyam and nearby villages are practicing on the ground daily. Though the government kabaddi coach is available on the village ground, the senior players also nurture the youngsters, he said.

As many as five grounds, including four soil grounds, are open and one ground is an indoor one ie. on mats. Craze for the game can be ascertained from the fact the children, six to seven years old, reach the ground daily, and sweat it out for hours to get all techniques of the game right, Gulia asserted.

Though the nursery is only for boys, the craze among the girls is no less here, and they are also practicing at Gurukul, SAI centre and their institutions.

Tanu, daughter of Rajender Gulia, who was nurturing the younger players, said she was playing kabaddi for the last nine years, and her complete family was dedicated to the game. “I have won three national medals, gold in Khelo India, Sub-Junior and Junior Games, and recently completed the NIS,” she said. She further said they were four siblings, and all were kabaddi players. Her elder sister Deepti was a national player, her younger sister Pooja Gulia was practicing at the SAI centre in Sonepat and her brother Raunak Gulia was a gold medallist in under 14 and had been selected for SAI Centre at Gandhi Nagar. They learnt kabaddi tips from Surjeet Narwal and Pramod Narwal, who were her maternal uncles and were living with them, she said.

Ravinder Kumar, a resident of village, working in the Delhi Education Department said that when he got the time, he came to the ground to nurture the younger players.

Navya, a Class VIII student, of the village said she also wanted to be a kabaddi player. Nishu, another girl practitioner, said she was motivated by their own village players and started playing kabaddi. She comes daily to the grounds for practice, Nishu said.

Daksh, a Class III student, said he also wanted to become a good Kabaddi player. Bhotik, a nine-year-old boy, said he had been practicing on the ground for the last two years. He wanted to become a good kabaddi player.

Pratik, an 11-year-old boy of Burshyam, said his two elder brothers and his sister were playing kabaddi regularly. He came to watch their matches, and he also developed interest, he said.

Hunny of Khalila village, Jayant, Moksh Gulia of Burshyam and several other players said that they were practicing on the sports ground.

Rajender Gulia further said the village panchayat was taking care of the only indoor kabaddi stadium in northern India.

“We have requested the Sports Department, Haryana, several times to take over the stadium, so that it is properly maintained and big tournaments can be organised here from time to time, which will motivate the young players,” Rajender Gulia asserted.

Jyoti, Kabaddi coach of the Sports Department said 70-80 children are coming daily on the ground for practice.