Pro Kabaddi 2016 | Puneri Paltan beat Bengal Warriors

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The British left a lot behind when they moved out of India in 1947 - the Lutyens, Rashtrapati Bhavan, the railways, not to forget major educational and social reforms. But their influence did not stop there and extended to sports as well. They introduced a sport in India that came in as a gentlemen’s game, but was soon played by every teenager and adult in every street of India. Down the timeline, cricket became the second religion of every Indian citizen.

But before the spread of cricket into our streets and then to our hearts, there was another Indian sport which used to unite us, which made us hold hand in hand, a sport that strengthened bonds between rival teams, and even between villages. A sport which made us smell the soil and sing one word again and again – Kabaddi, Kabaddi, Kabaddi!

Read more about the rise of the ancient sport of Kabaddi

Also read: Pro Kabaddi has shown how to handle women's sport: Are you watching BCCI?