Isha Gramotsavam
Isha Gramotsavam is a celebration of village life showcasing the essence of rural Tamil Nadu through an elaborate display of rural games, art, drama, dance, music and food specialties. The event highlights the role of sports in rural life by featuring the final rounds of a state-wide inter-village sports tournament. The festival is part of Action for Rural Rejuvenation (ARR), a rural revitalization program under the aegis of Isha Foundation. ARR provides a comprehensive approach to improved health, livelihood and community revitalization, and to date has reached over 4600 villages and forty-two lakh people.
880 Teams
10,360 Players
1 Finale!
September 4, 2016
CODISSIA Grounds, CBE
The Isha Rejuvenation Cup
The Isha Rejuvenation Cup marks the grand finale of a month-long sporting extravaganza that has gripped rural Tamil Nadu. Featuring volleyball for men and throwball for women, the tournament is an opportunity for every villager – man or woman, young or old, irrespective of caste or creed – to revel in the joy of the game and the spirit of competition and collaboration. Every village is eligible to enter a team in the tournament. Following the Round 1 and 2 matches held around the state, the final eight winning teams will prepare to face off at the title matches of Isha Gramotsavam 2016!
Why Sport?
Sports empower individuals, transform communities and inspire populations for positive change. For Isha’s Action for Rural Rejuvenation, sport has been the key to inspiring exuberance and oneness in the rural villages. It has become a tool of transformation, weaning villagers away from addiction, breaking caste barriers within the community, bringing women out of the home and empowering them, and reviving spirit and pride in individuals and the village as a whole.
Take the
Gramotsavam
Challenge!
Just few minutes a day dedicated to sport increase your health and happiness.
Try it out: Gather your family, friends, neighbors, even coworkers and start a simple game, even just throwing a ball back and forth. Take the Gramotsavam Challenge and play every day for at least 20 minutes – You might be surprised to find how much fun it is!
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From Teammates
to Friends |
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Today landlord and laborer play on the same team. Families that have feuded for years now cooperate to win. Friendships made on the court have lasted years – one group of girls who played as a team when they were 13 are now married and settled all over Tamil Nadu, but every year they come back to renew their friendships and play the game. |
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Three Generations
of Champions |
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Nagamani, now 75 years old, has been playing throwball for the past 12 years. She says her life began with throwball. Such has been her enthusiasm that now she has a daughter, daughter-in-law and granddaughter playing on the Kolapulur village team, which has been a 3-time winner and 3-time runner-up in Gramotsavams over the years. |
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A Village Inspired |
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Today, with a 30-member inter-caste community and a corpus of Rs. 1 lakh, Kaliyur village hosts its own tournament every year. Dedicated to Isha, the event brings in 60 teams to an all-day, all-night festival of sport every Makar Sankranti, where thousands of spectators from surrounding areas gather to cheer! |
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Only One Taker |
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In 2004, when Sadhguru invited the people of Anna Nagar for a yoga program, there was only one taker. Even when Sadhguru said, “If not yoga, how about just a game?” only a few showed interest. But that one man, Sellakumar, touched and inspired, was enough to cause a revolution. Being a man from the so-called higher classes, he faced social ridicule and near ostracism, but still chose to spend all his energies to bring his village together through sport. Because of his dedication, the games have now grabbed everyone’s attention! |
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“We have played only in our school days. This feels really good. My daughter says I am just waiting to go to the games. You won’t see this anywhere, people of all ages, from 15 to 65 years, we all play together.”
“The main pastime here was playing cards, smoking and drinking. After Isha came, nobody has these habits. From little children to the elderly, people go for work, do yoga, then play games.”
“Household women are rejuvenated. They have shed their submissiveness, they walk with their head upright, and have gained the confidence to go out and play. This is because of Action for Rural Rejuvenation. This is truly a rejuvenating movement.”
“People are playing without any caste-creed, rich-poor distinction. The employer and the employee play together, the land-owner and the laborer playing together. Truly speaking, these games have brought us together.”
“As we did things out of our enthusiasm, everybody cooperated with us.”
“We are confident of going anywhere and achieving anything. We are sure of our capability. It has created great enthusiasm.”
“In the villages, many of these games have been lost. Now, they are being revived by Isha and the people are enjoying them again.”
“Before, I didn’t know anything, even how to read or write. Only after Isha came, we took a six day class. It gave us confidence and we played. For two consecutive years we have won the trophy and this is our third. Its just so exciting.”
