The World Cup of Kabaddi...

...and the top prize of Rs.1 crore was won by India, who beat Pakistan in Bathinda, Punjab, in early April. Open magazine (April 23) gives readers a racy description of the tournament and the finale, with Arindam Mukherjee capturing the festive atmosphere at the games and also conveying the seriousness with which hard-core fans view kabaddi:

This was no place for the faint of heart. This was Bathinda, in the heartland of Punjab, where the game of kabaddi captivates millions across generations. Here, in similar dust-choked pits, many a bone has been broken, nose bloodied, and ankle sprained in a game that combines judo, wrestling, grappling and athletics, all at once. Westerners have found it difficult to define the game, sometimes even calling it a ‘push-of-war’.

Hotels and dhabas across Punjab switched from IPL cricket to PTC Punjabi channel, which was airing the contests live. Badal even claimed that the kabaddi tournament had “left behind IPL cricket as far as TRP ratings in northern India, New Delhi, Canada, Britain, US, Italy, Pakistan and Iran are concerned”. That cannot be confirmed, but the cheers in Punjab grew audibly rowdier as India trumped Canada to make the finals, while Pakistan edged out Italy.

Read Gone in Thirty Seconds to get an idea of the frenzy the tournament evoked.

• Photo courtesy: Open