Kabaddi: One Breath, Many Worlds

Lyrics

[Intro]

In the Thyagaraj Sports Complex, Delhi, October 2020,
late afternoon light slants across the 13 by 10 meter mat.
You, my breath, we hold together now.

[Verse 1]
Abhinav Bindra said it in 2016, to The Hindu,
breathing is the anchor of focus.
Without it, precision collapses.
Here on this synthetic surface, marked with a central line,
the raider steps over, shorts clinging to sweat-damp skin.
One inhalation, deep, filling the lungs to 80% capacity,
then seal it in, like a secret in the hippocampus.

[Chorus]
Kabaddi, Kabaddi, the chant begins, voice thinning,
as oxygen dips, carbon dioxide climbs.
Neurology whispers: the medulla oblongata screams for air,
but you resist, my breath, you stretch across many worlds.
Chaos theory in the raid—small shifts, a defender's glance,
butterfly wings in the lobby area, unfolding outcomes.
Hold me, hold us, until the voice cracks.

[Verse 2]
Earthy aroma of dirt after monsoon rain, mixed with sweat,
temperature at 30 degrees Celsius, humidity pressing down.
The mat under bare feet, divided territories,
raider darts, tagging with a touch, evading grasps.
Sisukiro knows: neurons fire in prediction,
breath-holding triggers hypoxia, visions at the edge.
Ludo calculates the fractals—each step a bifurcation,
from one breath, infinite paths.

[Bridge]

Remember the unnamed women in Punjab villages,
their stories oral, breaths held in hidden matches.
No records, but the body remembers—mitochondria dense,
cortisol spiking, survival's chemistry.
You, my breath, you're the bridge to those many worlds.

[Verse 3]
Pro Kabaddi League, 2014 to 2023 data shows,
raids lasting 25 seconds average, voice straining.
Chant it continuous, prove no inhale cheats the rule.
Ancient as Mahabharata tactics, military echoes.
Neurology of endurance: vagus nerve calms the panic,
chaos in the scrum, attractors pulling to score or fall.

[Outro]

As the sun sets, floodlights snap on, shadows stark.
We release, exhale together, my breath.
The game folds back into one world, but we know—
many linger in that single hold.