Anila Naaya is one of the traditional games played in various rural parts of India. It is similar to that of Maramerik kurangu or "Tree Climbing Monkey". This game is also played in urban areas where lots of trees are available. Anila Naaya can only be played where small trees with more branches are available. Big trees are not suitable to play this game.
Things Required to Play Anila Naaya
•Six or more players
•Small trees with branches
Rules of Playing Anila Naaya
The techniques of this interesting and funny game are very simple. There is no team division as such. There is one "out" person and rests are the general players. The main aim of the "out" person is to make any other player "out".
The rules are as follows-
•Firstly, the players locate suitable trees where one can climb up and down easily.
•Then any choosy game is played in order to select an "out" person.
•The "out" person stands in a distance from the tree away from others at the beginning.
•The "out" person has to say Anil (Squirrel) or Naai (Dog). If he says Anil all has to climb the tree and if he says Naai all has to come down from the tree.
•At the starting of the game the "out" person says Anil and Naai slowly and then as the game proceeds, he slightly increases the speed between Anil and Naai, so that the players move up and down from the tree quickly.
•All the players have to follow what the "out" person says, if anyone fails to do it or do it wrongly then he becomes "out".
•The "out" person can also run behind the players to touch them and make "out" when they are in the ground away from the tree or run from one tree to another. The players escape from the "out" person and jump and run here and there and try not to become "out".
Benefits of Playing Anila Naaya
This outdoor game ensures a number of benefits to the players. Some of the benefits are as follows-
•It helps players to learn climbing.
•It enhances their hearing capacity.
•It helps people differentiate between animals that climb tree and the animals that do not climb tree.
•It improves physique as it involves running here and there.
