Ludhiana: Phullanwal village tournament keeps ‘desi’ volleyball alive

According to Navi, a member of the organising committee, the event is completely supported by the village folk without any support from government or non-government body; each team is given a particular sum to arrange for travel and other things

A common sight across grounds or similar open spaces in villages in Punjab and neighbouring states is young men playing a particular variation of volleyball. Here instead of sending the volley back in three touches, the focus is on hitting the ball across as hard as possible in one shot. This is called shooting ball or shooting volleyball.

Players in action during a match in Phullanwal village, Ludhiana, on February 24, 2024. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

Phullanwal village here has kept this traditional game alive by organising a one-day tournament annually which sees participation from over 30 teams from across the state and Punjabi-speaking areas of Rajasthan and Haryana like Ganganagar and Sirsa. On Saturday, 32 teams reached here for the latest leg of the tournament.

According to Navi, a member of the organising committee, the event is completely supported by the village folk without any support from government or non-government body. Each team is given a particular sum to arrange for travel and other things. The organisers claimed to have spent around ₹2 lakh for the day-long tournament.

Baljeet Singh, 43, who represented Chak Kalan village, shared, “I have been coming to this tournament since my teenage days. It’s always an exciting experience to come here as the villagers support us with great warmth.”

“This is a raw game. There are hardly any rules and more passion. Being a desi, this is what we like. When we played the nationals, we had to pay for everything from our pockets. But, this village committee has given me ₹8,000 for participating,” Tarsem added.

Manpreet Singh, 28, Physical Education teacher, also reached here for “love for the game.”

The players demanded that the Punjab Government recognise the game like Maharashtra, Goa and Madhya Pradesh. While the game was not accredited by the state, it was included in the ‘Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan’ event last year.