INDO-CHINA BORDER IN KINNAUR: It is a Snowland, where only the glaciers and avalanche creak and groan. You have heard about ice hockey, skiing and snowboarding and other snow sport in the High Himalaya, but this time our Jawans are on a brave new high in the high Himalayan mountains: They are playing something very indigenous in deep snow at the dizzying heights at 12000 ft. What?
These Himveer jawans from the ITBP are playing “snow Kabaddi” in the high altitude frozen zone at 12000 ft in upper Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh, which has taken the Net world by storm. The jawans are playing “snow Kabaddi” - something no one has down before in the high Himalaya. They say their idea is to “keep themselves fit, be a part of “keep India fit, Khailo India” campaign and ultimately, be ready in combat mode in the high- altitude war zone on the Indo-China border.
Donning the high-altitude “army fatigue”, ITBP jawans are not only creating waves on the Net world, but they are also grabbing the attention of the PLA of China on the Indo-Tibetan border areas. The local high landers watch the Kabaddi jawans with rapt attention in the freezing temperatures, where you get Oxygen in short supply and “your lungs struggle to breath fast and chilled air” , stressing every part of your body.
The “snow kabaddi” has also taken the social media by storm, with the Kabaddi video going viral on social media. It is no easy to play Kabaddi in snow where the players not only battle the elements, but the raider slogs his ways through the ankle-deep snow, dodging and chasing the opponents to get the points.
Playing snow kabaddi not only need the “nerve of steel, but also you need to have “lungs of steel”, thighs of Maradona while the raiding the opponents, said the jawan. “We don’t know whether or not someday “snow kabaddi” will become popular as a national sport, but it is an ingenuous invention and kabaddi is our national and native sport and we can play it anywhere and everywhere ”, said the jawans.
Leading snow kabaddi campaign is none other Mahindra group Magnate Anand Mahindra, a sworn champion of our Desi Kabaddi. Playing Kabaddi in snow… “That is the beauty of this ancient game of ours: play it anywhere, anytime, anyplace. That is why I have promoted this viable sport and the only requirement is that you have to be Veer”.
Playing Ice hockey is easier as it is your skates that do jobs for your skating skills, all you have to do is to manipulate your body movements swiftly and tactfully on the ice ring. But to play snow kabaddi is a “real tough” for which you need to have strong lungs, strong thighs and need a lot of force to score the point, said the jawans.
The ITBO jawans say that they are full of Josh playing kabaddi in snow. They are “Himveer” of ITBP, protecting our country in the bone-chilling Himalayan heights along the Indo-China border. The motive behind all this is: Fitness, FIT INDIA, they say. (Kuldeep Chauhan is Editor, HimbuMail, voice of Himalayan people)
