'Gilli Danda' is an ancient Indian sport. It is believed to have originated over 2,500 years ago. It is hugely popular in the rural regions. Besides India, it is also played in many neighbouring countries including Nepal and Pakistan. The game is now gaining popularity in other parts of the world as well.
Indians staying in UAE and Saudi Arabia are eager to take this ancient game to the Middle East. According to media reports, Indians who are living in Dubai have placed an order for over 100 'Gilli Danda' sets from Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh.
According to a report in Hindi daily Dainik Jagran which quoted Gilli Danda maker Premchand Nogia, a few Mandsaur locals who have shifted to Dubai to meet their professional needs had earlier taken sets of Gilli Danda along with them. They have now placed more orders for Gilli Danda.
Nogia said that people from Dubai wanted to place order for 1,000 sets, but they couldn’t due to coronavirus pandemic induced lockdown.
The game of Gilli Danda is played with two sticks -- a large one called a danda and the smaller one called a gilli. The large stick is used to hit the smaller one. The game bears many similarities to bat and ball games such as cricket and baseball.
Rajesh, another Gilli Danda maker, said that designing a perfect stick is not an easy task. He said that price depends on the quality of wood used in making these sticks. He said that a standard Gilli Danda set costs between Rs 25 and Rs 50. Those made using Sagwan wood are priced at Rs 4000.
He said that Mandsaur is famous for Gilli Danda and sticks are transported in different parts of the country.
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