The poem 'Gilli Danda'

Open your book, Santoor, at page 79 and read the poem 'Gilli Danda'. Read it aloud, or ask someone to read it with you.

Here is what the poem tells, in short. Some children gather around in the playground to play Gilli Danda. They have a stick and a small gilli. They say that their game is 'so sound', which means it is a very good, fine game. They count one, two, three, then swing the stick and hit the gilli, and they watch it go. They play with joy, and with their friends they never quit.

Every time they swing, the children feel free. The small gilli flies up high, underneath the bright blue sky. The children laugh and play and have fun under the golden rays of the sun. So we know they are playing outdoors, and that they are very happy.

Your book tells how the game is played (page 84). Gilli Danda needs two sticks: a long one, the danda, and a short one, the gilli. One player hits the gilli with the danda so that it flies into the air, and the other players try to catch it. In English the game is also called tip-cat.

Four words from the poem: to gather means to come together in one place. To quit means to give up or stop. To swing means to move something, like the danda, in a curve through the air. Underneath means below, or under.