Hundreds of people enjoyed the traditional stick play widely known as Lathikhela with enthusiastic eyes. The game was staged at Bardah village under Shailkua upazila in Jhenidah on Monday afternoon.
Ex leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League at Islamic University, also an aspirant in upcoming union parishad polls in Mirjapur union Abujar Gifari Gaffar organized the event aiming re-instead the culture of traditional games in his locality.
A number audience had rushed at Bardah high school since the noon when contacted said huge people from surrounding villages of neighboring Harinakundu upazila in Jhenaidah and Kushtia Sadar upazila on auto-vans, motorbikes and other means of communications rushed there to have a look of the decaying game.
They said lathikhela, Gadankhela and some other games were a regular feature in rural Bangladesh a few decades ago. But the culture started decaying with the advancement of modern technology like video, foreign cine culture etc. Now the people do not have enough time to stay for hours together for any recreation purposes. Now they enjoy the events staying at homes.
Septuagenarian Amjad Sheikh of Ananda Nagar when asked said the music with Kashi, Dhole, dugi and juri had an attracting power where hundreds of people irrespective of cast, creed age and gender gathered within a few moments even from far-flung areas.
Amjad Sheikh said the well to do farmers like village leaders (matbars) desired to nourish the people with energy and vigor to prove their power in the community. They had chosen the men during the Lathikhela who had performed better.
The elderly man said the government should patronize Lathikhela and other decaying games as those were main source of inspiration and enjoyment among the common people.
Event organizer Abujar Gifari Gaffar when contacted said as these games were favourite to local people and bear the tradition of rural Bangladesh, he would try his level best to request the concern authorities for doing so. The game strengthens ties among the rural people, Gaffar commented.
