Bharatiya Games initiative to popularise traditional Indian sports ecosystem in schools – Times of India

The Indian Knowledge System (IKS) division of the Education Ministry is in the process of implementing the first ‘Bharatiya Games’ initiative in schools throughout the country. As part of implementing this initiative, schools would need to appoint a physical education teacher as a point of contact who would oversee the development of annual and monthly training programmes for students. In addition to this, the physical education teacher would also need to monitor the learning graph of the students in various indigenous games.
The larger aim of the initiative is to ensure the inclusivity of the students living in the countryside where sports infrastructure is poor. In the first phase, the initiative would be implemented across 1,000 schools throughout the country which will gradually extend to all the schools. In this regard, IKS has also collaborated with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and various state-level nodal sports authorities. In the first phase, 12 outdoor games like Lagori (Pittu), Nondi, Nadee Parvat, Jod Saakli, Nalugu Rallu Atta, Cheel Jhapatta, Vish-Amrit, Gilli Danda, Gella Chatt, Atya Paty, Kabaddi, and Pacha Kuthirai would be introduced.
Speaking to Education Times, Ganti S Murthy, national coordinator, IKS, says, “Most conventional games that are played these days require expensive infrastructure. Many instances have come to the fore where many students from poor financial backgrounds cannot take to sports as neither they have the financial means nor the requisite sporting infrastructure is available. Hence, the main aim behind introducing indigenous Indian games in schools is to ensure the inclusivity of all the students from different strata of society, especially from the rural belt of the country. As there are not many sports facilities in rural areas, students living in the countryside are not able to play and thus develop a sporting temperament.
The students can learn and get trained in the indigenous Indian games without needing expensive infrastructure as a prerequisite. This would ensure that an inclusive sports ecosystem is evolved in the country. The physical education teachers in the schools would be the partners in this national endeavour. Students will be taught one indigenous game by their physical education teachers every month and the teachers would be provided with the necessary resources to introduce these games to their students. The best-performing schools will be recognised every month.”
“Also, most of the games that are played these days are very competitive on an individualistic basis and do not focus on nurturing collaborative traits among students. Bharatiya games have been designed in such a way that they focus on collaboration, camaraderie, and team spirit,” adds Murthy.
Sangeeta Goswami, an expert in Indian indigenous games, says, “This initiative will start with a small set of schools to get the process checked and validated. In the next phase, it will be extended to more number of schools across the country. In this regard, the IKS division is collaborating with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and various other state-level sports authorities to ensure that this initiative is a success. The IKS division has already connected with Pittu Federation of India (PFI) and there are hopes that at least ten more such federations come up in the next five years.”