Once played across the subcontinent under different names — hu-tu-tu in Maharashtra, chedu-gudu in Madras and Mysore, jabarjang in Punjab, and hu-du-du in Bengal — kabaddi was rapidly standardised in newly independent India. In 1953, a ruling by a committee formed by the All India Kabaddi Federation declared that the only legitimate chant allowed during the play would be ‘kabaddi,’ and that no other words could be spoken. This standardisation enabled kabaddi’s emergence as a ‘national sport,’ while simultaneously stripping it of much of its vernacular and rural roots. As Alter argues, kabaddi has never achieved the kind of popularity...
Monitoring Antisemitism Intel
