Youth hospitalized after "Kotta pora"

 

Youth in serious condition .... 
after Kotta pora competition of over one hour

Traditional games are conducted for Sinhala New Year solely for entertainment and to maintain our customs. Kotta pora competitions are to a large extent popular mostly among the youth. Some boys and girls wish to display his or her strength too in the presence of the villagers in the area.

According to rules of the competition, one competitor has to make the other competitor fall down. There is no rule as to the period of time when this should happen.

A young boy who took part in a Kotta pora competition at an Avurudu Festival held recently in Dambulla became seriously ill,


having engaged in the competition for a continuous period of one hour with blows being aimed at his head.

The young boy who suddenly bean to faint and vomit was admitted to Matale Basic Hospital in that condition on the afternoon of 16th after which he was transferred to the Kandy General Hospital for further treatment and subsequently an urgent operation was performed on his head area that night.

It was 22 year old Nandika Hettiarachchi resident in Ambepola who had so participated in the Kotta pora competition held at the Avurudu festival held in Etapola area in Matale.

Being the last two competitors who participated in this competition, though faced severe bouts from each other; none of the two competitors had fallen down and been defeated.

In fact there had been a strong contention between the two for over an hour. In the end, the organisers had adjudged both competitors as winners, with the consent of both participants.

Later on contestant Nandika had suffered from a faintish condition and had begun to vomit and the organisers had taken steps to admit him to hospital. Doctors said that there had been an internal haemorrage because several blows had been aimed at his head for along period of time.

The patient is in a serious condition after the operation.

Information -- Dhammika Namal Korala, Dambulla