# Indian Game
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-game/156015
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 19, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-game/156015 "2003-02-19T00:56:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Tony\_Barber\_s\_Underwear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tony_Barber_s_Underwear)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-game/156015/1 "2003-02-19T00:56:21Z")
My sister is a vet, and a couple of years ago spent a year in Jaipur working as a volunteer for a group called Help in Suffering.
After she came back she told me about a game called “Cubbidi”(sp?) that was quite popular in India. I am not sure if she was having me on, but it sounds like a version of the kids game “Red Rover”.
Apperently the game involves ‘catchers’ having to capture their opponents without taking a breath. To prove that they are not breathing, the cathchers must repeatedly shout 'cubbidi", as they cannot breath in while doing so.
Now I could understand it if this were simply a kids game, but my sister informed me that it was quite a popular competitive sport in India.
So, does anyone know whether this is true, and could they give me a more detailed description of the rules of the game?
- Bubba.
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### Author:  [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2003, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-game/156015/2 "2003-02-19T01:27:02Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Tony Barber’s Underwear \*
> \*\*
> Now I could understand it if this were simply a kids game, but my sister informed me that it was quite a popular competitive sport in India.
>
> So, does anyone know whether this is true, and could they give me a more detailed description of the rules of the game?
>
> - Bubba. \*\*
It’s called [Kabaddi](http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabaddi).
It’s popular is the sense that the Indian national team is pretty good.
But it’s not road-side or park-side popular. That’s reserved to cricket. Although with India’s current performance in the ongoing World Cup, Kabaddi might pick up 😃
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### Author:  [@Tony\_Barber\_s\_Underwear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tony_Barber_s_Underwear)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-game/156015/3 "2003-02-19T01:55:10Z")
So there are actually organised Kabaddi competitions? If there is a national team, are there other countries that play the game? (Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka etc?)
- Bubba.
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### Author:  [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2003, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-game/156015/4 "2003-02-19T02:08:49Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Tony Barber’s Underwear \*
> \*\*So there are actually organised Kabaddi competitions? If there is a national team, are there other countries that play the game? (Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka etc?)
>
> - Bubba. \*\*
According to this [page](http://news.sawaal.com/12-Apr-2001/Sports/53.htm), US, Canada, France, England as well as 11 others teams participated(?) in the “Kabaddi World Cup 2001” which India won.
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### Author:  [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indian-game/156015/5 "2003-02-19T02:15:21Z")
I know they play it in Pakistan. There used to be televised competitions here in the early '90s (and I believe they might still be shown on cable/satellite).