Santhal Kati From Odisha

Pioneered by the Santhal and Bhumij tribal communities, Kati is traditionally played as a community gathering after the harvest season. The game involves strenuous footwork, sharp observation and quick limber moves.

Players must hit the kati with a tarhi to strike the opponent’s kati. The striking team lines up on the boundary with their kati and tarhi. The defender’s kati are placed in a row on the midline of the rectangular field.

The image¹⁶ below depicts players before the game begins.

The game is named after Kati where two teams hit and play against each other. Earlier, teams used Katis of different sizes.

Origin

In tribal communities, such games have social, cultural and ritual significance, for example, gathering of youth, communal bonding, and celebration. For Kati specifically, there are reports of it being played during festivals and special occasions.

One source mentions that, in the past, in some villages the outcome of a team’s performance in Kati could influence social decisions such as a marriage between a prospective bride and a groom from another village.

The Setup

The game is played between two teams of nine players each.

Equipment

1.Kati

Each player has a kati, a half-moon-shaped disc usually made from the wood of the tamarind tree as it is lighter in weight. Nowadays Kati has emerged as a piece of a definite size, the angle of which between its equal sides is almost 150 degrees. Its base is 12 inches long, while the thickness of its base is 1.5 inches that gradually increases to 4 inches at the apex.

The weight of a Kati in the past used to vary between two kilograms to 2.5 kilograms. But now, it weighs four to five kilograms.

2.Tarhi

Tarhi, a 6 to 7 ft. long bamboo rod.

Playground

The playfield is a rectangular area where a central line is drawn parallel to the short sides of the rectangle.

A wooden log, called bergha, is placed at the mid-point of the central line. Two parallel lines are drawn on the ground–each on the opposite side of the central one. The distance between each line and the central line varies between 2’ and 2’.5”.

The Play

The objective of the striking team player is to send their kati to the defender’s court but after striking the opponent’s kati that is placed midway.

A striker propels the bamboo stick with his foot to hit his own kati

to collide it with the opponent’s kati.

Each player has a kati. All katis lie on the ground and players try to aim a bamboo stick with their feet to hit the opponent’s kati. Every successful hit gains points.

Players take turns to strike the opponent’s kati. If a player fails

to hit the kati, the turn moves to the next player.

The player stands at a designated distance from the center of the court. Using their striker kati, they aim to knock the opponent’s kati out of its position.

All the opponent’s Katis are placed on the midline. Gripping the upper part of a bamboo stick (Tarhi), a player has to kick the lower part of the stick in such a way that it hits a Kati.

Key Strategy is deciding how to position and aim the striker kati.

Scoring

Points are awarded when a player successfully hits the

opponent’s kati and displaces the kati, players earn a point.

Depending on local variations, additional rules might define how points are calculated (e.g., how far the kati is knocked out or if it remains in a specific area). The game continues till one of the teams achieves 7 points.

Winning

If the hit lobs the Kati over the line on the other side of the central line, it becomes the first step towards victory.

The player tries to hit other Katis one after another to score the final victory. Now a new component is added to the game. Here the player who has successfully hit all Katis, will have to hit the Katis from the place where they fall in a way that they strike the bergha, to cap an ultimate victory.

Skills Required

A player should have a keen eyesight to hit ‘Kati’ with his bamboo

stick so that the disc can swerve away at one go.

For this feat, he should enhance the strength of his leg that kicks the Kati. Similarly, his grip must hold the bamboo stick tightly and tactfully so his shot does not misfire. For this, regular practice is needed.