Dal pat

Dal pat (Branch-leaf) is a popular game among children in rural Bihar and the Utter Pradesh State of India. It is played in a place surrounded by trees and uses a wooden stick.

Description

The game starts with the selection of Chor (Thief), generally done by using a poem. A player starts the poem and says a word of the poem for every player; the player with the final word becomes Chor.

Initially, all the players stand on the ground and a stick is thrown from a predefined line. Chor has to pick up that stick and place it at the line; during this time, other players have to climb a tree. Chor has to climb after the players, touch someone, and then touch the stick to make the other player Chor. If Chor is successful, the other player become Chor and the previous Chor throws the stick. If Chor is able to touch someone but fails to touch the stick before the other player, that player remains Chor.

There are different methods of the throwing the stick; each way has a specific name.