Balbat/ Dan Phal
Balbat, a sport very similar to Stone Put, a traditional Scottish game, is one of the favorite sports of Gilgit-Baltistan men, played mostly in winter. The reason behind playing it in winter is to keep the body warm during the chilly cold days when the sun plays hide and seek with the valleys of GB.
Unfortunately, we don’t have sports complexes; thus, men usually gather in an uncultivated field, a meadow, or a school ground to enjoy the game.
A circle is drawn with the help of a stick, and the player stands at the midpoint of the circle holding a stone or rock in his hand. The player can use only one hand to bowl it. While exerting pressure, he cannot cross the border of the circle; if he does, he is declared disqualified. With the help of his hand, he releases the stone with all his power in the forward direction. The winner is the one who uses the heaviest rock and covers the greatest distance.
In Stone Put, the Scottish use a rock weighing 16 lb to 26 lb for men and 8 lb to 18 lb for women. However, in Balbat, there is no specific weight for the rock selection; it depends on how much a player can hold.
It’s surprising that our women don’t play any traditional sports. It’s not that our women don’t play sports at all — they actively participate in mountain climbing, cricket, and hockey on national and international grounds. However, there seems to be a lack of interest in promoting our traditional sports. Even I played Balbat in my childhood, but as time passed, I stopped — perhaps due to changing surroundings or a loss of interest.
