Kabaddi is centrestage in Navalgavhan

As the sun begins to set in Navalgavhan village, both young and old head towards the school playground. They get busy cleaning the sportsfield, clearing it of stones and trash, marking boundary lines with lime powder and checking the floodlights.

Children aged 8 to 16 are soon ready in their blue jerseys, and they split into teams of seven players each.

Kabaddi! Kabaddi! Kabaddi!

The game begins and for the rest of the evening, and some of the night, the spirited cries of players will rent the air as this vigorous national game is played out, watched by family and friends from the village in Hingoli district of Marathwada.

Holding his breath, one player enters the opposing team’s side of the court and attempts to touch and dismiss as many players as possible before returning to his own camp. He cannot let up or stop chanting ‘kabaddi’ till he is back on his side. If he is caught by the opposing team, he is dismissed from the game.

Everybody is watching two ace players, Shubham Korde and Kanba Korde. The opponents also fear them. “They play as if kabaddi runs in their veins,” someone in the crowd tells us.

Shubham and Kanba win this match for their team. Everyone gets in a huddle. The game is discussed minutely and a new plan made for the next day. The players then head home.

This is the daily routine in Navalgavhan village of Maharashtra. “Our village has a long tradition of playing kabaddi. Many generations have played this sport and even today, you will find at least one player in each house,” says Marotirao Korde. He is the sarpanch of the village. “Someday children from Navalgavhan will play in big places. That is our dream.”

Kabaddi has been played in the Indian subcontinent for many centuries. It was in 1918 that this sport got the status of a National Game. In 1936 it received its first international exposure in the Berlin Olympics. With the inception of the Pro-Kabaddi league in 2014, the game has gained renewed popularity.

The players here in village are from modest backgrounds. Barring a few households, most of the residents here belong to the Maratha community and depend on farming for their survival. The region has red laterite soil with rocky patches.

Shubham also belongs to a farming family. He has been playing Kabaddi since he was six. “The atmosphere in my village is inspiring. I come here daily and practise for half an hour at least,” says the 12-year-old who is in Class 6. “I am a big fan of Puneri Paltan [a Pro-Kabaddi league team]. I hope I can play for them in future,” he says.

Shubham and Kanba study at the Sukhdevanand High School in the neighbouring village, Bhandegaon. Kanba is in Class 10. Along with them Vedant Korde and Akash Korde are two promising raiders – they are known to dismiss 4-5 players in one go. “Back-kick, side-kick and sinhachi udi [when you jump and free yourself] are our favourite parts of the game,” they say. All of them are all-rounders in the game.

In Navalgavhan, the teams are made on the basis of weight. Under 30-kg, under 50-kg and the Open group.

Kailas Korde is the captain of the Open group. “We have won many trophies to date,” says 26 year old Kailas. They won Matrutva Sanman Kabaddi tournament in 2024, Vasundhara Foundation’s Kabaddi Chashak in 2022 and again in 2023. They have also won state level tournaments organised by the Sukhdevanand Kabaddi Krida Mandal.

“Matches held on 26th January, Republic Day, are a big thing. People come to see us play – teams from neighbouring villages come to compete. We also get awards and cash prizes.” He feels there should be many more competitions. At present, these are held only twice or thrice a year. Young players need more of these, says Kailas.

Kailas is preparing for police recruitment. Every morning he travels 13 kilometres to Hingoli and studies for two hours at a study-room. Then he goes to the sports ground and does his exercise and physical training. His commitment to sports, exercise and his academics has inspired many young students.

“Kabaddi has helped many young men from Navalgavhan and surrounding villages such as Satamba, Bhandegaon and Incha to build their careers,” says Narayan Chavan. Like Kailas, this 21-year-old is also preparing for police recruitment exams and kabaddi helps his physical training and stamina. “We love kabaddi. We have played it since we were kids.”

Many small towns in Hingoli witness annual kabaddi competitions for different age-groups. These are organised by the Shripatrao Katkar Foundation and called ‘Matrutva Sanman Kabaddi Competition’. Manisha Katkar, the founder of Katkar Foundation organises these events along with training of kabaddi trainers. The Foundation aims to work with rural communities to promote local trade and business and prevent migration in the long run. They are well known for the kabaddi tournaments in all talukas of Hingoli district.

In 2023, Vijay Korde and Kailas Korde attended one such 10-day training held in Pune. Today they train children and young men in Navalgavhan. “Since childhood I have been fascinated by this sport and have always tried to know more and more about it. I want these youngsters to train well and play well,” Vijay says.

He feels that children here have great potential and can play at national and international level. But they lack of good facilities like an all-weather playing ground. “We can’t practise when it rains,” Vijay says.

Vedant and Narayan also share their problems. “We don’t have a ground. Like other players, if we can also train on the mat, we will surely do well,” they say.

The tradition of kabaddi in Navalgavhan has not given enough space for girls though. Many in the village play at the school level but have hardly have any facilities or even a trainer.

Any outdoor sport like Kabaddi also brings with it some challenges. Pawan Korade knows it all too well.

Last year, on the day of Holi, matches were held in Navalgavhan. The entire village had gathered to watch the game. Pawan Korde was playing in the under 50-kg group. “I entered the opponent’s area and dismissed a few players. As I was returning to my base, I suddenly lost my balance and fell on my back,” Pawan says. He was badly injured.

Although he was immediately taken to Hingoli, he needed surgery and was referred to a hospital in Nanded. The surgery was successful but doctors cautioned him that he could not play like before.

“We were distraught when we heard this,” he says. But he didn’t give up. After recuperating from the surgery, Pawan began training. And after six months, he began to walk and run. “He wants to appear for police recruitment,” says his father.

His entire medical expense was borne by the Katkar Foundation.

Although Navalgavhan takes pride in kabaddi, not all can pursue it. Vikas Korde had to stop playing as he needed to earn to survive. “I loved to play kabaddi, but the economic crisis and farm work meant I had to leave studies and also the sport,” says the 22-year-old. Vikas bought a tempo last year. “I transport farm produce [turmeric, soyabean and fresh produce] from my village to Hingoli and earn some money,” he says.

Navalgavhan wants to be known as a kabaddicha gaon, a village known for its kabaddi. For its youngsters, “kabaddi is the ultimate goal!”