Traditional Games take center stage at 5th Meghalaya Games: Coaches, players share enthusiasm for preserving cultural heritage

By Shafali Nigam
West Garo Hills (Meghalaya) [India], January 16 : In a groundbreaking move, the Meghalaya Games 2024 has witnessed the inclusion of traditional indigenous sports, highlighting a rich tapestry of cultural heritage.
Coaches and players passionately embrace this initiative, aiming not only to compete but to safeguard and propagate traditional games unique to Meghalaya. Coaches and players express their joy in being part of this historic event, their sentiments echo the broader ambition of ensuring these traditions endure, potentially reaching national and international platforms.

Nancy A Sangma, coach for the traditional games for this fifth Meghalaya games 2024 said, "Yeah, actually I am coaching this traditional game for the Garos that is called WA. Pong Sika. This game is played in order to promote and preserve the culture of our community and it is about the brave warriors of the past."
Wa'pong Sika is a Garo traditional game, where two teams compete to push a bamboo pole towards the opponent's goalpost.
"The people who play this WA'pong Sika, we need only two players and they will be standing in one place, holding one bamboo at both ends and circle will be drawn and whoever can push the other person away from the circle becomes the winner. So he can keep challenging anybody who can defeat him. So, anybody who ever cannot defeat him, he becomes the strongest person, so to say maybe the strongest person of that particular community of the particular village."
"I am very happy. I'm very glad that this time, the government of Meghalaya has introduced traditional sports this way for the first time, and I look forward to them sustaining this game, even in future. it's a very great thing you know, our children also will know the value of the culture because sports like swimming, badminton, football, basketball, these are very common everywhere, but to sustain this kind of culture, this is also one way to promote and to sustain, and that way our children will also know the value of such sports and it will not disappear, it will remain, and it will keep the Indigenous Games alive," she further said.

Jefferson Nongkynrih, referee of the traditional sport Mawpoin said the traditional sport has gained a lot of popularity in Meghalaya and generates a lot of excitement due to the very basic and general nature of the game.
"This is the first time that Mawpoin is being conducted here in Meghalaya Games. This is a very old and common game that is usually played by children in most households in earlier times. Mawpoin is one of the few traditional sports that has a lot of popularity in Meghalaya and generates a lot of excitement due to the very basic and general nature of the game. This game, however, has many versions/interpretations that are played in and around the state and similar versions of this game is also known to have been played elsewhere in the country. Hence, a need arises to have common rules and regulations formulated so as to facilitate the formal and proper regulation of this game during competitions," Jefferson said.
The following Rules and Regulations were initially drafted based on the competitions that were organized by the Seng Samla Seng Khasi for over 50 years in its annual sporting event called "Aiom Leh Kmen". These rules and regulations have been formally submitted to the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs to streamline the conduct of these games and Mawpoin as a sport was even featured as a demonstration game during the XXIV North East Games, 2010 in Shillong, Meghalaya.
"The best thing about this game is that we preserve the traditions of this game. So, by being part of this Meghalaya game, it will boost this game further maybe in the near future we can also introduce a game in some big events like the Northeast games. The main aim is to introduce this game more and more, it might be reached to the national event also, Jefferson said.

Labianghun Kharkongor, a player of Maw Poin game said, "Actually, this game I played when I was a kid. so right now I'm really grateful that it has reached to this platform as a traditional game in the Meghalaya games and I hope that in the future, it will reach to the national as well as the international level."
Contestants from every corner of Meghalaya are set to engage in three traditional games during the event. Mawpoin, rooted in Khasi tradition, involves teams building a stone pyramid while aiming to eliminate opponents. Rah Mukhrah, a Jaintia traditional game, requires competitors to transport a heavy, rounded rock to the finish line, earning the prestigious title 'KI MAR.' In the Garo tradition, Wa'pong Sika will see two teams vying to push a bamboo pole toward the opponent's goal post.