Sports in India

India carries a rich history of sports that dates back to the great Vedic era of India. The ancient Indian advisers used to encourage physical culture through religious rites, a practice globally considered as the most powerful fuel. In ancient India, sports and games were known as “Dehavada”, an approach of realizing body potential to its fullest. There is a mantra in the great “Atharva Veda” that says, “Duty is in my right hand and the fruits of victory in my left”. The sentiment is reflected in the traditional Olympic oath,”…for the honor of my country and the glory of sport.” Many of the sports historians believe the disciplines of Olympic are sophisticated versions of the games of strength and speed that flourished in Greece and ancient India. Chess, polo, wrestling, archery and hockey are believed to have originated in India. In the area of recreation and sports India had evolved a number of games. It is surprising to know that even games like Snakes and Ladders, Playing Cards, the martial arts like Karate and Judo had commenced as a sport in India and from here they were conveyed to other countries where they were further modernized. Some of the popular sports in India are:

Hockey: Hockey is the national game of India. The country has earned global recognition by showing their excellence in this game. Hockey was introduced to the Indians by the British in the 19th century and since then, there was no looking back. The first ever hockey club in India was established in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1885-86 which was followed by the formation of hockey clubs in Bombay (now Mumbai) and Punjab. In 1908, ‘Bengal Hockey’, the first hockey association in India was formed. The Indian hockey team stunned the world as they won the Olympic Gold Medal on their debut in the Amsterdam Olympic Games in 1928, that too without conceding a single goal. Since then, India has won seven more Olympic Gold Medals for hockey. From 1928 – 1956, hockey was a one team show in the Olympics as India won the Gold Medals six times consecutively. The country has produced a galaxy of great hockey players like Dhyan Chand, Leslie Claudius. Adam Sinclair, Ajit Pal Singh, Dhanraj Pillay, Dilip Tirkey and more who have won the hearts of many Hockey lovers across the globe.

Cricket: Cricket is the most popular game in India and is often being considered as the unofficial national sports of the country. The game, much like hockey, was introduced to the Indians by the British in the middle half of the 18th century. The national governing body for cricket in India is known as “The Board of Control for Cricket in India” (BCCI). It was established in 1928. India won the Cricket World Cup under the captaincy of Kapil Dev Nikhanj, the great Indian all rounder who once enjoyed the world record of taking most wickets in test cricket. Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly are some of the successful Indian cricketers who had made considerable contribution to the game, both globally and in India.

Chess: Chess is considered as one of the traditional Indian games. The game is mentioned as “Chaturnga” in the historic ‘Gupta Period’ and later it was further modified by the Persians. It is an immensely popular game among the Indians who love to play it during leisure times and it demands a high level of intelligence. Indians were introduced to the modern version of the game under the British rule. This is the time when chess broke the boundaries of royal courts and palaces and reached to the mass. In India, the game is governed by All India Chess Federation (AICF). The association has worked relentlessly to bring out talented chess players who are making their marks in the international arena. In fact, the present world champion in Chess is an Indian, Mr. Vishwanathan Anand. Apart from him, players like Dibyendu Barua, Koneru Humpy, Surya Shekhar Ganguly, D. Harika have performed extraordinarily in the international level.

Tennis: Tennis is one of the most popularly played outdoor games in India. The origin of this game in India can be traced back to the late 19th century when the game was dominated by the British players. But as the game spread across the nation, the Indians started to make their presence felt in the national championships. Some of the most prestigious Indian Tennis Tournaments include the Punjab Lawn Tennis Championship held at Lahore of undivided India (1885), Bengal Lawn Tennis Championship held at Kolkata (1887) and the All India Tennis Championships organized at Allahabad (1910). The Punjab Championship in 1915 saw the emergence of the first world class Indian tennis player Mohammed Saleem from Lahore who emerged victorious. Saleem’s performance inspired the Indian players as more and more Indians started to mark their presence in the game. In 1920, All India Lawn Tennis Association (AILTA) was established at Lahore of undivided India. Contributions from leading tennis players like AA Fayzee, SM Jacob, Leander Paes, Vijay Amritraj, Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza has aided to enhance the stature of Indian tennis at the international level.

Along with these games, India enjoys a rich tradition of games that are being played from the times of Vedas and Indus Valley Civilization till date. Jallikattu, Kho-Kho, Kabaddi, Ashte–Kahste, Pallanguli, Pachisi are some of the traditional games widely played in several parts of the country. These exciting and intriguing games are considered among the most notable ones in the history of traditional sports in India and promote physical culture among the Indian youth.

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