In an apparent bid to revive traditional sports, state-owned Chaudhary Charan Singh University in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut town, about 450 kilometres from here, has decided to include sports like 'gill-danda' and 'kanche' in its syllabus of Bachelor of Physical Education.
According to the Varsity officials, some other traditional sports such as 'stapoo' (hopscotch) has also been included in the syllabus from the next academic session.
''The objective is to revive these traditional games, which were once very popular in the state and the country but they are on the verge of extinction....many in the new generation do not even know about them,'' said a senior Varsity official in Meerut.
'Gilli-danda' is played with two sticks, including a large one called a 'danda', which is used to hit a smaller one, the 'gilli' while the game 'kanche', which is still very popular with the children, especially in the rural areas, is played with round-shaped marble balls.
The University had earlier hogged the limelight after it included a book on 'Hathyoga' (a branch of Yoga that focuses on learning the yogic techniques by force) written by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
It also included a book on Yoga written by Baba Ramdev. The book contains information on how to treat illness through Yoga.
The varsity officials said that the inclusion of these books as part of its endeavour to make the students familiar with the ancient Indian culture.
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