Source: San Jose Mercury News
http://origin.mercurynews.com/news/ci_5762861?nclick_check=1
Gurbaksh Sohal is an all-American athlete. He's a linebacker for the Los Gatos High School football team. He wrestles. He's on the track team.
But on the weekends this spring, when some of his other friends are either at church or kicking back at home, Gurbaksh takes time out to honor his Punjabi ancestors - by playing kabaddi, a 4,000-year-old sport integral to his family's homeland.
"For us in America, playing kabaddi keeps this part of our culture alive," said Gurbaksh, who stands at 5 feet 11 inches, weighs 190 pounds and lifts weights four times a week. "If we don't play it, the sport will die."
Saturday, 16-year-old Gurbaksh will join dozens of other Punjabi-Americans in the Bay Area's biggest kabaddi tournament, a free event at the Santa Clara County fairgrounds. Last year, the contest drew 8,000 visitors. This year, organizers are hoping for more.
Kabaddi, which blends the chase of tag with the grapples and scrums of wrestling and rugby, is far from a household word in Silicon Valley. But there are signs - from the growth of kabaddi Web sites to the number of people who compete - that interest in the rough, rural-inspired game is on the rise.