Gella-Chutt (transl. "the king ran away") is a traditional Indian game from Tripura.[1] [2] In the game, one team has a king stationed in a "prison", which is at a distance from the "home" area. The goal of the king is to reach home with the help of his teammates ("guards") without being tagged by the opponents.[3]
A similar Bengali game exists known as "Bouchi", in which the king and guards are instead referred to as the "bride" and "bride-snatchers". The bride-snatchers are allowed to tag and eliminate the opponents before the bride starts running towards the home, provided that they hold their breaths once they leave the home; a bride-snatcher who fails to hold their breath can themselves be tagged out by an opponent.[4] [5] [6]
In Hindi, a similar game is known as budhiya kabaddi, with the king considered to be an old lady.[7] Another name for the game is Sita Udhar, which references the scene from the Ramayana where Sita is saved from the demons of Lanka.
The Western equivalent to Gella-Chutt is prisoner's base.