HA-DU-DU

HA-DU-DU

Ha-du-du is an outdoor game of our country. It is the most interesting of all the country games. It is not only a game, it is our national identity as well. In the village areas, this game is still very popular. It can be played without spending much money.

A small but smooth ground is quite sufficient for this game. The ground where Ha-du-du is played is divided into two equal parts. A line is drawn across the middle of the field. Each party must have equal number of players. There is no limit to this number. Any number of players can take part in it.
The players of both the teams stand face to face in a line or in the form of a semi-circle. Each party stands in one part of the ground. One player of a party runs to the middle line and suddenly falls upon the players of the opponent party. He utters all along the words ‘Ha-du-du’ holding his breath and tries to touch a player of the opponent party. If he can touch and reach his own area, he remains in ‘life’. The opponent player or players touched by him are ‘dead’, that is, disqualified from playing. They kept outside the ground until a player of their party can touch some players of the opponent party. Then they come back to life and join the game again. Thus the parties by turns send players, one at a time, to the opponent’s area. The game comes to an end when all the players of a party are dead. The party that survives is declared to have won the game.
Among many foreign games like cricket, football, badminton etc., Ha-du-du is the game of our own. It bears the sign of our cultural heritage. The village people of our country still love this game. If we go abroad to display our national games, we feel proud to carry this game over there.