Fight for Glory

Learning Outcomes

1. Through the Eyes of the People - A Mutiny Becomes a Popular Rebellion
2. Learn about the biggest collective uprising against the British rule in the nineteenth century – mutiny 1857
3. Learn about the idea of Unity

Description Of Activity

How to play

Divide a class into multiple groups of 14 children. These groups can play separately. 

Each group will have 2 teams of 7 players each and they will play a Game of Kabaddi. One team represents East India Company and the other team represents Team Glory (Mangal Pandey and Sepoys) who joined the rebellion.

East India Company is led by Governor General and Team Glory is led by Mangal Pandey and erstwhile princely states.    

Team Glory can include members like

1. Mangal Pandey
2. Bahadur Shah Zafar
3. Nana Saheb
4. Tatya Tope
5. Begum Zeenat Mahal
6. Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi
7. Kunwar Singh Thakur
8. Zamindars

The East India Company rules: 

1. Team Glory cannot add a member back (Policy of Lapse if any king didnt have natural son, the kingdom is annexed to British i.e. Jhansi)
2. East India Company can add members back one by one
3. Appoint Referees
4. In case of fouls, it can be referred to External Referee (British Parliament)
5. They can change a rule anytime

Team Glory rules:

1. They cannot make any chain to defend
2. Team members are not allowed to help another player during defending
3. They cannot set any rule

In Round 1, Team A plays as East India Company and Team B plays as Team Glory. In Round 2, Team A plays as Team Glory and Team B plays as East India Company.

At the end of Round 1 & 2, the Teacher asks children why did East India Company win and Team Glory lost. Then teacher will co-relate the game with the Rebellion of 1857  

If time permits, another round of game is played with fair and equal rules for both teams as in case of conventional kabaddi game. 

Team Glory is now allowed to form a chain, get chance of getting back members and there is independent referee (played by teacher himself).  The new Team Glory team fights unitedly for India by rise above local / personal interests to serve national interest.

Variations

We can suggest additional one-sided rules eg. the size of Team Glory keeps shrinking and annexed with East India Company. Let East India Company decide on new rules 

Coaching Tips

This lesson can be made interesting by bringing in creativity and aligning it to learning outcomes of “Rebels of 1857” and the Game of Kabaddi

Equipment/Material Required

Line Marking with Chalk powder.