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GILLI DANDA INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION 

 Gilli Danda International Federation (GDIF)

The Gilli Danda International Federation (GDIF) is the world's first official governing body dedicated to the promotion, preservation, and global recognition of Gilli Danda—one of the oldest traditional sports rooted in Indian heritage. Established with the vision of reviving the cultural legacy of ancient sports, GDIF aims to unite traditional sports enthusiasts, players, and organizations across the globe under one umbrella.

Founded in 2017, GDIF operates as an international non-profit sports federation to organize, regulate, and promote Gilli Danda championships at national and international levels while preserving the intangible cultural heritage associated with the game.

GILLI DANDA: A TRADITIONAL SPORT OF INDIA

Gilli Danda is an ancient sport popular among rural youth in the Indian subcontinent. It is called dānggűli in Bangla, chinni-dandu in Kannada, kuttiyum kolum in Malayalam, viti-dandu in Marathi, kitti-pullu in Tamil, gooti-billa in Telugu, and Lappa-Duggi in Pashto.

This sport is generally played in rural and small towns of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely played in Punjab, the North-West Frontier Province, Sindh (Pakistan), and Uttar Pradesh (north India).

Gilli-Danda is a very exciting game played among teenagers and even adults. The game involves a lot of vigor and thrills. It is an amateur sport prevalent in the villages and rural regions of India and Pakistan. This amateur sport has grabbed the curiosity and attention of people living in other regions of the world, including Italy, Spain, Cambodia, and Colombia. The game is played with two sticks: the bigger stick, known as a Danda, is used to hit the smaller stick, which is called a Gilli.

The game is also known by other names. Gilli-Danda is called Dandi-Biyo in Nepal, Tipcat in England, Alak-Doulak in Iran, Chinni-Dandu in Karnataka (India), Viti-Dandu in Maharashtra (India), Billam-Godu in Andhra Pradesh (India), and other different names in various parts of India. It is certainly an ancient game of India, perhaps with origins dating back to more than 2500 years ago. Many believe that Gilli-Danda inspired traditional Western sports like cricket, softball, and baseball. As an amateur sport, it has several regional variations. According to some versions, the points scored by a striker depend on the total distance covered by the Gilli from the striker’s point.

In some cases, the distance is measured with respect to the length of Gilli, whereas others measure the distance with respect to the length of Danda. Scoring might depend on the number of times Gilli is hit with one strike in the air. If the Gilli travels some distance with double midair strikes, then the points are doubled.

Origin and History

This ancient game is said to have evolved in India some 2000–2500 years ago. However, some sports enthusiasts believe that the sport evolved in Europe, particularly in England. The sport is similar to baseball, which is the most popular sport in America. On the other hand, Gilli-Danda is similar to cricket and even softball. In Galicia, a game known as bilharda is very much identical to Gilli-Danda. In the Philippines, Gilli-Danda takes the form of a popular sport called syatong. People in the United States call this exciting game pee-wee. In Italy, teenagers play a similar game known as lippa.

In Malaysia, an identical game called Konda Kondi is played. In Poland, a similar sport called klipa is popular. Whatever the variations or similarities, Gilli-Danda has certainly grabbed the curiosity of people living in other areas of the globe.

Dimensions of Gilli and Danda

Gilli is made from wood. It is small in size and measures approximately 4-6 inches in length. Danda is also made from wood. It is slightly bigger in size and measures about two feet in length. An open field or space is required to play Gilli-Danda.