Batha Gelenai: A Traditional Game of Bodos of the Bodoland Territorial Area District (B.T.A.D.) of Assam, India

Abstract

Batha Gelenai is one of the most important traditional games of the Bodo society of Bodoland Teritorial Area District (B.T.A.D.) of Assam. Traditionally two kinds of Batha Games are played by the Bodos of B.T.A.D. area of Assam. One of them is "Khunthiya Batha” and another one is "Dwikhor Batha”. Both of them are played by their own methods. In this paper only "Khunthiya Batha” is discussed. It is a kind of group game specially played by the Boys of the Bodos in dry season on an open field or a specific playground or a paddy field. This game is represented by the two heads of two groups, which is call "Bwrai and Burwi”. They are like a captain of both the groups. The game is started by several kinds of traditional toss system, which is represented by one outsider person. Khunthiya is put tightly in the middle of the playground keeping 2.5 to 3 feet upward the ground and keeps the Batha on khunthiya and heat it upward as fast as possible with "Laothi” (Batha bugra) to a long distance from Khunthiya by first beater and count the scores by a counting song "Er, Ver, Rwo, Raas, Paas”. On the other hand, the fielders surrounding by him are tried to catches the Batha on upward. At the end of the game which team scores more will be winner of the game, which is known as "Gang Khanai”.