Kabaddi, Silambam and the Traditional Sports of Tamil Nadu

In many Tamil villages, evenings once had a special sound: a boy crossing a chalk line, holding his breath and chanting “sadugudu, sadugudu, sadugudu” while friends tried to catch him. No equipment, no fees — just a patch of mud, a line and a lot of courage.

When I was a child, our games changed with the seasons and festivals. Today, many children know more video games than village games. So let me take you through some of the traditional sports of Tamil Nadu, and why they are worth bringing back.

🤼 Kabaddi: Breath, Courage and Teamwork

Kabaddi, also called sadugudu in Tamil, is one of the most Indian of all sports. A raider enters the opponent’s half, tries to touch defenders and return safely, while the defenders work together to stop him. In the traditional form, the raider keeps chanting to show he hasn’t taken a breath.

Kabaddi has grown from village grounds to big stadiums. Kabaddi is part of the Asian Games, where India has won many gold medals, and the Pro Kabaddi League, which began in 2014, made players household names across the country.

What it teaches: quick thinking, physical strength and trust in your team. A defence works only when everyone moves together — a lot like the lessons I learned in gully cricket.

🪵 Silambam: The Art of the Staff

Silambam is a traditional martial art of Tamil Nadu that uses a long bamboo staff. Watching a skilled practitioner spin the staff around their body, faster than the eye can follow, is unforgettable. References to the art appear in old Tamil literature, and it has been passed down through generations of teachers, called aasaan.

Today, silambam schools run in many towns and cities, and children of all ages — boys and girls — learn it for fitness, self-defence and discipline.

What it teaches: focus, footwork, balance, respect for the teacher and control over one’s own strength.

“Our ancestors built strength without gyms and teamwork without coaching manuals — the games were the lesson.”

🎉 Festival and Street Games

• Uriyadi: a blindfolded player tries to break a hanging pot with a stick while others guide — or mislead — with shouts. Common during festivals like Pongal and Krishna Jayanthi.
• Gilli-danda (kitti-pullu): a small wooden piece is flicked and hit with a longer stick. Many cricket lovers say it was their first “batting practice”.
• Paandi: the Tamil version of hopscotch, drawn with chalk or a stick on the ground.
• Kho-kho: a chasing game that needs speed and sharp turns. India won both the men’s and women’s titles at the first Kho Kho World Cup in New Delhi in January 2025.
• Goli (marbles) and pambaram (spinning top): simple games that build hand-eye coordination and patience.

🧩 Pallanguzhi: Sport for the Mind

Not every traditional game is physical. Pallanguzhi is a board game with rows of small pits and seeds or shells. Players pick up and distribute the seeds following rules, trying to collect the most.

Grandmothers often played it with grandchildren on the thinnai (front verandah). It quietly teaches counting, planning ahead and patience — skills that chess champions like those I wrote about in Indian athletes beyond cricket also need.

🌱 Why We Should Bring These Games Back

1. Almost free: a ground, a stick, some seeds — that’s all.
2. Full-body fitness: running, stretching, balancing and breath control.
3. Less screen time: outdoor games naturally pull children away from phones.
4. Culture and language: the chants, rules and stories keep our heritage alive.
5. Real friendships: these games are played face to face, not through a headset.

Always follow basic safety — a trained teacher for silambam and kabaddi, soft ground, and warm-up before playing.

✨ Takeaway

This weekend, teach your children one game you played as a child. Draw a paandi grid, find a pallanguzhi board, or let them shout “sadugudu” in the park. And if you miss playing yourself, read why it is good to play a sport again. Our traditional games are not old-fashioned — they are timeless.