Check out 5 Current Indoor Games Played in India
– Indoor Games Played in India –
Indoor Games Played in India: Whenever we talk about games and sports, most thoughts run to football or basketball. Actually, Indians are excluded from most because Indians pay more attention to Cricket and Badminton when talking about outdoor games or sports.
Recently there has been a steady shift in Indian attitude towards games. People are paying more attention to other forms of sports including indoor games like Chess, badminton, and many more which we will discuss below.
5. Bowling
The sport of bowling has been accepted and is played by over 95 million people across the world, spanning more than 90 countries.
Its roots are in Ancient Egypt (discovered from remains by Sir Flinders Petrie) and also the Roman Empire where the people used husk balls, leather balls, etc.
Pin bowling, as it is known today (with 10-pin, 9-pin, and even 5-pin variations), was first established in New York in 1895. This is an indoor game people are enjoying in some parts of India.
4. Squash
This is a racquet and ball sport that can be played by two (singles) or four (doubles) players. The name squash comes from the softness of the ball that is used in the game.
Harrow school is recognized for the invention and popularization of this game which used racquets similar to, but a lot lighter than, those used in tennis. The rules of the game have undergone a lot of changes.
According to the conventional scoring system, the first player to reach 9 points is declared the winner of the game. According to the World Squash Federation, England is the country with the highest number of squash courts in the world. Very few take part in India but things may change with time.
3. Chess
One of India’s finest indoor games and certainly one of the most mentally taxing and IQ-demanding games.
With roots lying in Ancient India in the Gupta Empire, it was known as ‘chaturanga’- literally meaning four divisions (infantry, cavalry, elephantry, and charity represented by pawn, knight, bishop, and rook).
Its spread into and across Europe did not occur until the 1000s. Chess has seen many international competitions being held like the World Championship, the Women’s World Championship, the Junior World Championship, the World Computer Chess Championship, and many more.
Currently ruled by grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, Chess has boasted of heavyweights like Anand, Kasparov, Fischer, etc.
Interestingly, owing to the rapid development of artificial intelligence and innovative algorithms, a computer called Deep Blue (IBM) became the first computer to defeat a human chess champion (Kasparov) in 1997!
2. Badminton
Another indoor game that has craved the indulgence of Indians. Like squash, Badminton is also a racquet sport (played with a shuttlecock instead of a ball).
Opponents are pitted against one another on either side of a net and a point is scored by a player when the shuttlecock is not returned, during a rally, by his opponent.
1992 was the first year when badminton was first introduced in the Olympics. This sport requires a good deal of agility, reflexes, and hand-eye coordination. It was in British India (the early 1800s) when this sport first came into existence.
However, instead of what we know as shuttlecocks today (made of feathers), woolen balls were used. The Badminton World Federation was established in the year 1934; a long time after the game had gained widespread popularity in England.
1. Billiard
Gradually carving its way into the collection of indoor games played in India is the Carambole Billiards. T
his is the most popular game from the family of billiards (others include three-cushion billiards, pool, etc). It is believed to have its origins in France in the late 1700s.
The carambola billiard game (most popular in the family) has a very simple objective- a point is scored (known as count) when the cue ball hits both the object balls in a single stroke.
As soon as a preset number of points is reached the winner is decided. Other variations of billiards include limited-rail billiards, balkline billiards, cushion carom, three-cushion billiards, etc.
If you found this article useful and would love to get more updates like this one kindly subscribe below, by entering your email and hitting the share button to share with your friends.
CSN Team.
