Abstract
Like any other state of India, Assam too has its share of
traditional games and sports, which are bound securely to
the heritage and culture of the land. As far back as in 1746
A.D, the Ahom Dynasty which ruled Assam for about 600
years, had built the Rong Ghar, meaning "Amusement
House", which is considered the oldest amphitheatre in
Asia. This was the royal sports-pavilion from which the
Ahom kings and nobles witnessed games like buffalo fights
and other traditional sports at the Rupahi Pathar, which is
the field surrounding the Rong Ghar, specially during the
Rongali Bihu festival, in the Ahom capital, Rangpur. The
purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of media in
promoting the traditional games and sports of Assam,
many of which, today, are on the verge of being forgotten.
The methodology which was adopted for the study was
that of an Indepth Study, with an exploratory approach.
The major finding of the study had been that - Media is a
reflection of the Society and if something is missing in the
society itself, it can never be found in the media. In an
Indepth Study, generalizations about the results usually
cannot be made, because small samples are chosen and
random sampling methods are not used. In-depth study
however, provide valuable information for the subject,
particularly when supplementing other methods of data
collection, in Qualitative Research. This holds true for the
present study also. However the results of this study can be
of great importance in starting the endeavour to give a new
lease of life to the dying and near extinct traditional games
and sports of Assam. Traditional Games and Sports are an
Identity Landmark and Milestone in the evolution of the
Culture, Heritage and Tradition of the ancient land of
Pragjyotishpur, now Assam.
Keywords: Promotion, Traditional Games & Sports, Media, Role
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