A short writeup on the indigenous sport of India-Kho-Kho, written by our student Sashrika Prasad.

Sashrika is 11 years old, a young writer from Gurugram. We are proud to have her as a student of the Little Kathakar Program, an Online Public Speaking through Applied Storytelling & Theatre Program under the mentorship of Trainer Khusshbo Chokhaani. We congratulate Sashrika for this exemplary true self-expression.

The Game of Kho-Kho

Have you ever imagined a game in which people sit facing the alternate side and run around chasing each other? If not, then Welcome. Today I will tell you about Kho- Kho, the indigenous sport of India. The name comes from the Marathi language (KHO- KHO). The word “kho” is imitative of the sound invoked while playing the game.

The origin of the game Kho-Kho is very difficult to trace, but many historians believe that it is a modified form of ‘Tag’ and ‘Catch’, which in its simplest form involves chasing and touching a person. Kho-Kho is featured in the Ancient Indian Sanskrit epic Mahabharat.

The present appearance of the game was an adoption from the time of World War I in 1914. But at that time, there were neither any dimensions of the playground nor the poles which demarcate the central line. The time factor was also missing.

The Deccan Gymkhana club of Pune, Maharashtra so named and baptized by the great Indian leader Lokmanya Tilak & Bhai Narorkar drafted the first-ever rules and regulations which symbolized the metamorphosis of the game soon to follow. This initial stage marked the limitation of the playground and yet sadly lacked the poles demarking the central line in the field. Instead, less experienced players were posted squatting at the ends of the latter and chasers ran around them to return to the midfield.

But even then, the game caught the imagination of the experts in the field. The experts took no time to realize that the game demands the highest degree of quick and brisk movements, a very high grade of nerve reflexes, and tremendous stamina which are characteristics of a supreme athlete. The game requires all qualities like speed, endurance, flexibility, agility, strength, and coordination. As per merit, it is appreciated by the press, media, and spectators. The first Kho-Kho tournaments were organized in 1914, and the first national championship was held in 1959 at Vijayawada under the auspices of the Kho-Kho Federation of India (KKFI), which was formed in 1955.

Kho-Kho is a traditional Indian sport, being one of the oldest outdoor sports dating back to ancient India. It is the second most popular traditional tag game in India after Kabaddi. Kho-Kho is played on a rectangular court with a central lane connecting two poles which are at either end of the court. During the game, nine players from the chasing team (attacking team) are on the field, with eight of them sitting (crouched) in the central lane, while three “runners” from the defending team run around the court and try to avoid being touched. Each sitting player on the chasing team sits facing alternating directions from the central lane.

There are 5 famous Kho-Kho players-

1. Satish Rai- Satish Rai was one of the most famous Kho-Kho players. Very little is known about him except for his excellent gaming skills. He was a tough, fit dedicated, and attentive player.
2. Sarika Kale – Captain of India’s women’s Kho-Kho team recently led the national team to clinch gold at the 12th South Asian Games (SAG) in Guwahati. At the age of 10, Sarika began playing Kho-Kho and developed an interest in the game. With time, she mastered the skills of the game and represented her state Maharashtra in 25 national championships.
3. Pankaj Malhotra – Pankaj Malhotra, the very famous Indian Kho-Kho player is a dominant player with a list of achievements on his plate. Born in Jammu Kashmir’s Sainik Colony, Jammu, he developed an interest in this sport at a very young age and continued his passion. He was the captain of the Jammu Kashmir State Kho Kho Team and represented​ India in the India- Nepal Kho-Kho 5-Match Series in 2018.
4. Mandakini Majhi – Mandakini Majhi also goes by the name, Odisha girl a famous Kho-Kho player from Odisha. She became part of the Indian Women’s Kho-Kho team to participate in the 12th South Asian Federation (SAF) Games 2016 in Guwahati. Coming from marginalized family background, choosing Kho-Kho as a sport was challenging for Majhi. But she continued to surpass the obstacles and build stepped up the ladder to success.
5. Praveen Kumar – Praveen Kumar is one of the very talented and famous Kho-Kho players from Mysore, Karnataka. He played a big role in the University of Mysore’s (UoM) win in both the South Zone and All India Inter-University Men’s Kho-Kho Championships (2017-18) played in the city.

In a bid to get Kho-Kho action back on track post-COVID-19 pandemic, and help Indian players excel in the country’s one of the most popular indigenous sports, industrialist Amit Burman promoted Ultimate Kho-Kho (UKK) in association with Kho-Kho Federation of India (KKFI) rolled out the first-ever High-Performance Assessment Analysis and Evaluation Programme—’ Rise in Sports Excellence’, for Indian Kho-Kho players.

Different Kho-Kho tournaments are –

• National Kho-Kho Championship.
• Nehru Gold Cup.
• Federation Cup

Domestic Seasons and Tournaments are;

• National Championship.
• Junior National.
• Sub Junior National Championship.
• School Championship.
• Mini School Championship.
• Primary Mini School Championship.
• National Women’s Championship.
• All India Inter University Championship and Federation Cup.

Today the Kho-Kho sport conducts both state and national-level entry competitions. Playing the sport, Kho Kho holds multiple health benefits as this game keeps our body healthy and agile. This game is top-rated because it’s gratifying and offers many thrills when one is dodged and feint. Kho-Kho is a fun, and the popular game played at school with teams from other classes, and it is a fun game to be involved in a group.

“This was an attempt from my side to share a short glimpse of the indigenous sport of Kho-Kho. Hope you enjoyed the information in story form.”-Sashrika

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