Gella-Chutt
Gella-Chutt (transl. "the king ran away") is a traditional Indian game from Tripura.[1][2] In the game, one team has a king stationed in a "prison", which is at a distance from the "home" area. The goal of the king is to reach home with the help of his teammates ("guards") without being tagged by the opponents.[3]
Variants[edit]
A similar Bengali game exists known as "Bouchi", in which the king and guards are instead referred to as the "bride" and "bride-snatchers". The bride-snatchers are allowed to tag and eliminate the opponents before the bride starts running towards the home, provided that they hold their breaths once they leave the home; a bride-snatcher who fails to hold their breath can themselves be tagged out by an opponent.[3][4][5][6]
In Hindi, a similar game is known as budhiya kabaddi, with the king considered to be an old lady.[7] Another name for the game is Sita Udhar, which references the scene from the Ramayana where Sita is saved from the demons of Lanka.[3]
The Western equivalent to Gella-Chutt is prisoner's base.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ "The lesser known Indian sports". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
- ^ Britannica. Student Britannica India 7 Vols. Popular Prakashan. ISBN 978-0-85229-762-9.
- ^ a b c d Satyam, Amitabh; Goswami, Sangeeta (2022-04-18). The Games India Plays: Indian Sports Simplified. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-93-5435-256-0.
- ^ Nasim, Md Abu (2021-04-17). Stadiums in Calcutta: A New Genre of Sports Culture. Notion Press. ISBN 978-1-63806-579-1.
- ^ "Traditional Games of Bangladesh". unesdoc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
- ^ Express, The Financial. "Long lost childhood games in Bangaldesh". The Financial Express. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
- ^ Murari, Dr Mayank (2021-01-01). Jharkhand Ke Anjane Khel: Bestseller Book by Dr. Mayank Murari: Jharkhand Ke Anjane Khel (in Hindi). Prabhat Prakashan. ISBN 978-93-86870-65-0.