658 / 822
encyclopedia
SPORTS
Indian players - Chitra Gangadharan, Nile Ghosh and Judy D’Silva - earned
the distinction of representing all-Asian teams.
The following tournaments are a part of the annual football calendar:
The Begum Hazrat Trophy for the senior nationals
(1975-76); the Sanjay Trophy for the junior nationals (1980-81); Federation
Cup (1979-80); the Kamala Nehru Trophy (1975-76); Inter-zonal league;
K.D. Singh Babu Trophy (1978-79); Champion vs Rest of India; Kittu Cup
for the sub-junior nationals and the Rajmani Devi Trophy (1978-79).
On the international scene, while the First Asian Cup was held in
August 1975, the first women's World Cup football championship for the
M&M Trophy was held in China in 1991 and in the final USA beat Norway
2-1.
Arjuna Award:
Shanti Mallick
An old complicated, Indian game, needing
application of intelligence and thought. Origi-
nated by King of Vishnupur (Bengal) in 8th
century, earliest reference is in Babutsana
(1527); there were different forms of the
game, one set comprised 144 cards (divided
into 12 suits), another 96 cards (divided into 8
suits). Cards were circular, oval or rectangular, hand-made and
hand painted being made of metal (gold), ivory, wood, paper &
stiffened cloth.
GANJIFA
GOLF
GILLI DANDA
A highly indigenous and in terms of equip-
ment a very simple sport, the origins of this
game is traced back to around 3000 B.C.
Mostly played on the streets between two
opposing groups of players, the game is still
played in India, both in cities and rural villages.
With no official organisation or code of rules,
'gilli danda' in some respects is akin to cricket with, a batting side
and a fielding side. The scoring can be either in the form of points or
monetary stakes, which is measured depending on the distance to
which the 'gilli' is struck. Sometimes the losing side may have to
suffer some sort of punishment.
The 'gilli' is a small stick pointed at both ends and the 'danda' is the
bigger stick with which the’gilli’ is struck. During play, a player from the
batting side strikes the 'gilli' beyond a specific boundary either all along the
ground or over it. It the 'gilli' is caught in flight or if it does not cross the
specified boundary, then the player is out. If the player succeeds in the
above first step, then follows the second step. In the second step the player
places the danda across the 'gucchi' (a small hole dug in the ground) from
which he has struck the gilli. then a player from the fielding side tries to hit
the danda with the gilli, if he succeeds then the player from the batting side
is out and next player will step in to repeat the process from the first step.
Otherwise, the game proceeds to the third and the final step. If a player
from the batting side is not out after the first two steps, then he gets three
strikes at the gilli to send it as far as possbile from the 'gucchi'. He can
either take the strikes in a multiple go or individually. When the final strike
is over the batting side will claim its stake as a measurement of the distance
travelled by the 'gilli'.
The fielding side can either accept and concede the stake or challenge it. If
challenged, the distance will be measured with the danda and if the stake is
approximately correct to the distance measured then the fielding side will
have to concede the stake. If the batting side has made a mistake in
claiming its stake then it will have to suffer some punishment, which may
even include the forfeiture of its innings. An innings is complete only when
all the players of a batting side have had their say.
Similar variations of the game are popular in Pakistan and Sri- lanka.
The comparable game in Srilanka is called 'gudu' and the 'gilli' is known as
the 'kuttiya'.
The game of 'gilli' 'danda' has some affinities with the old English
games of 'Tip-cat' and 'Kit-cat'.
Originating from the Roman game of ‘Pagan-
cia”, modern golf had its beginnings in Scotland. It
is believed that the Romans, who occupied parts of
England and Scotland from A.D. 43 to A.D. 400
played ‘Pagancia’ with a bent stick and a leather
ball stuffed with feathers.
The honourable company of Edinburgh Golfers,
established in 1744 in Scotland is recognised as the first organised
golf club that set down the first written rules of the game. Subse-
quently, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Andrews, Scotland,
founded in 1754, became the leader in establishing golfs regu-
lations and standards. The Royal and Ancient (popularly known as
the R&A) set the standard round of golf at 18 holes.
Golf came to India about 175 years ago with the Britishers and the first
golf course established outside Britain was the Royal Calcutta Golf Club,
Calcutta, which was established in 1829.
Though the Indian Amateur Championship for men was staged from
1892 and the Ladies All India Amateur Golf Championship from 1906, the
promotion of golf as a competitive sport took a concrete step with the
formation of the Indian Golf Union (IGU) in 1956 with Mr. A.D. Vickers
as the first president and Maj. L.B. Hirst as the first honorary secretary.
The Indian Golf Union Ladies Section (IGULS) was founded in 1970 with
Mrs. Shyam Batra as the first convener.
The Armed Forces too have had a fairly large share in the promotion
and development of the game in the country. Of the 140 golf courses that
exist in the country today, nearly 40 belong to the Armed Forces.
A number of tournaments are now held throughout the year in different
parts of the country by the Professional Golf Association (PGA) under the
aegis of the IGU, both in the professional and amateur categories. The IGU
with sponsorship from the ITC Ltd., conducts the Indian Open, Golf
Championship in which over 120 foreign professionals participate. The
total prize money of this tournament was enhanced to 200,000 dollars from
1993. India’s caddie turned professional, Ali Sher, won the 1993
championship and an individual prize of Rs. 10 lakh. Ali Sher had won the
championship in 1991 also. The Indian team of Lakshman Singh, Rajeev
Mohta, Rishi Narain and Amit Luthra did the country proud by winning the
team gold in the IX Asiad in New Delhi in 1982. Lakshman Singh also took
the individual gold medal.
Eternal India