29 November,2019 08:13 AM IST | Mumbai | Dalreen Ramos
Students play a game of quidditch.
Having sold more than 500 million copies worldwide, it's hard to dismiss the Harry Potter series as just another book. The first title, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was released in 1997 and two decades later, many who grew up with it don't ever want to escape that magical world created by JK Rowling. So much so, that fan fiction has been spread out across the globe. A theme park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, has been built in London and quidditch, the fictitious sport with flying brooms that Potter aced, has an international association headquartered in New York. And now, the game comes to Mumbai as well.
This Saturday, Malad's Mainadevi Bajaj International School will host an inter-school quidditch competition. Presented by media partner Sunday mid-day, the event will see 11 schools competing and over 100 participants. Girls and boys aged between 12 and 14 will take the field and each team comprises eight players. The game draws from the International Quidditch Association's rulebook, but has been modified to avoid any physical contact. The flying, buzzing snitch will be introduced to the event for two minutes across both halves, and it will essentially be a tiny ball wrapped in a scarf and hidden under the back of a player. For those two minutes, the opposing team sends a member to chase the person appointed as a snitch. If successful in the chase, the team is awarded 50 points.
"The event is synched with the experiential learning we do at the school. In an age where students are hooked on to digital platforms, we wanted to inculcate a sense of adventure. And Harry Potter still rules the roost. When we started contacting schools to gauge the level of interest, we received an overwhelming response," shares school director Nitin Padte. The institution has also made a conscious effort to include girls in the sport. "During the game, if a girl has to be replaced, the substitute player can't be a boy," Padte says.
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On November 30, 8 am to 12 pm
At Mainadevi Bajaj International School, Swami Vivekanand Road, Malad West.
Call 9004444081
Free
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