Kuttiyum Kolum – Gilli Danda

Traditional Village Games of Kerala include many like Pamparam Kothu, Kuttiyum Kolum, Goli or Goti, Kabadi, Erupanthu, Thunipanthu (Ball made of Cloth) and so on. We will see an interesting game today, which is known in different names in different states of India. In Kerala, it is called Kuttiyum Kolum but the same is known as Boy-Cane, Gill-Danda and Gooti-Billa in other states. It is called Tipcat in English.

The Game

This is one game which can be played by people of any age group. Usually it is a street game. The props used for this game are a round stick (long one about 18 inches) and a peg (shorter stick of about 4 to 5 inches), chiseled at both ends. The length of the long one depends upon the age group – children use shorter ones. The short one is known as Kutti (Gilli) in Malayalam and long one is known as Kolu (Danda).

Rules

The rules and stages vary from place to place, being a local game. The sticks are made to size. A hole is made on a level ground. Some use circular hole and use a rectangular one over which the short stick is kept across the hole. The depth of the hole is such that it should be possible to insert the long stick into it and swing the shorter one up in the air.

How to Play

One player – like the batsman in cricket – plays it depending upon the toss. Others (usually three to four) are fielders. The player starts the game swinging the Kutti up in the air sending it as far as he can. The long stick is then kept across the hole.

If any of the fielders catch the short one before falling on to the ground, the player is declared out. The fielder who collects the short one from the ground throws it on to the longer one kept across the hole. If the short one hits the long one, the player is declared out.

If the short one misses the long one, then the player measures the distance of the hole from the position of the short one. He gets that many points in the game. This is the initial stage, which enables the player to advance to more stages of the game.

Stages of the game

Various stages are Thookkipiti (Suspended), Kombu (Kalakombu), Kaimuttu (Elbow), Thala (Head), Kannu (Eye), Kaalmuttu (Knee), Kaalu (Leg), Naatta. The names of these stages may change from place to place as well as the rules.

With the entry and popularity of Cricket, all the local/regional games in India have started evaporating. I used to play this in my school days along with many other games and would love playing it if I get a chance once again.

Other names for this game

• Tipcat in English
• Itti Dakar in Sindhi
• Dandi-Biyo in Nepalese
• Guli-Badi in Odia
• Alak-Doulak in Persian
• Daangguli in Bengali
• Tang Guti in Assamese
• Chinni-Dandu in Kannada
• Viti-Dandu in Marathi
• Koyando-Bal in Konkani
• Katti-Pul in Tamil
• Gooti-Billa or Karra-Billa or Billam-Godu or Chirra-Gonay in Telugu
• Gulli-Danda in Punjabi
• Geeti-Danna in Saraiki
• Iti-Dakar in Sindhi
• Lappa-Duggi in Pashto
• Kon ko in Cambodian
• Pathel Lele in Indonesian
• Syatong in Tagalog
• Celikcomak in Turkish
• Ciang Sitting in Zomi