Even as Punjab’s traditional rural games have been a centre of attraction for years, a relatively new phenomenon of performing stunts by tractors and tractors tug of war (tractor-tochan) has been catching fancy in the State for the past close a decade.
Now, following the death of a 29-year-old man who got trampled on under a tractor while performing a stunt during a rural sports fair in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, the State government has decided to ban dangerous stunts on tractors.
Those who have been involved in holding prominent rural games in Punjab believe that performing stunts with tractors is different from traditional rural games, and it should be kept at bay from rural sports, however, the people involved in the business assert that instead of imposing a ban, putting regulations surrounding these tractor stunts would have been better.
The instances of tractor stunts and tractors tug of war (tractor-tochan), which were earlier not a part of rural games or fairs, have lately started gaining popularity across villages among the locals. Tractor-Tochan is a game on the line of ‘tug of war’ in which two tractors pull at opposite ends of a chain until one drags the other over a central line. The show of strength is on display, however, the risk involved can’t be underestimated and ignored. On the other hand, the stunts performed by tractors are largely on display during the sports fairs in the villages.
“The government imposing a ban on tractor stunts is not correct. Instead, the government should have come up with some mechanism to regulate the sport. The tractors used in these events are customised for games, and safety is not ignored. It’s being said that performing stunts is risky, but there’s risk in all sports. If necessary precautions are taken then I don’t think there’s a reason to ban it. Punjabis by nature are risk takers,” Arshdeep Singh, who has been involved in organising Tractor Tochan events at Mahal Kalan village in Barnala district.
“We have been holding tractor-tochan games for the last around ten years across nearby villages. People participate in the game and whoever wins gets a cash prize, which varies from from village to village. These events also help locals earn handsome money by selling their products during these fairs and events. Also, most of them who perform stunts with tractors are trained, their livelihood is dependent on this work,” he added.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday announced to impose a complete ban on dangerous stunts involving tractors and other agricultural implements in the State.
On Saturday, Sukhmandeep Singh was performing a tractor stunt at the local fair in Sarchur village in Fatehgarh Churian when the stunt went wrong, claiming his life. The tractor was raised on the rear tyres while its engine continued to rev, and as the stuntman attempted to gain control of the tractor, he got run over by the tractor. He lost his life on his way to the hospital.
Jagbir Grewal, a former chief patron of the Grewal Sports Association (GSA), which for years had been organising rural games in Punjab, famously known as the ‘rural Olympic’ sports festival at Kila Raipur in Ludhiana district, said that the government has taken a right step by imposing a ban on performing of dangerous stunts through tractors.
“These stunts and games like tractor-tochan are not traditional rural games. They are of recent origin and. These tractors are so powerful and performing stunts with them is an action of not just putting the life of the performer at risk but also the spectators.”
The Chief Minister said the incident in which a person lost his life during a dangerous display of stunts on tractors was unfortunate. He said any such mishap needs to be avoided in the coming future, adding that for this a complete ban on the stunts involving tractors and other agriculture implements is imposed in the State.
In an official statement, the Chief Minister said that the tractor is called the king of farms, and it should not be transformed into a catalyst of death, hence to stop the use of tractors and other agriculture implements for dangerous display in any sort of stunts is the need of the hour.
He said that the State government is duty-bound to protect the precious lives of people, adding that this decision has been taken in the larger public interest.
