Chapter 8 — The Lagori Champions

Chapter 8 of the Class 4 English NCERT textbook (Santoor), "The Lagori Champions", is a play-script story about a group of children from Sundarpur village who teach their visiting friend Prakash the rules of Lagori — a traditional game of seven stacked flat stones — and then go on to win a match against the rival Green Warriors team. Download the PDF to read the full dialogue and story, or browse a chapter summary and Q&A below.

• What Is Lagori and How It Is Played — Lagori is a traditional Indian game played with seven flat stones stacked one on top of another. One team knocks the stack down with a ball; the opposing team then tries to rebuild the stack while dodging the ball thrown by the first team. The game is also called Satoliya in Rajasthan, as Prakash reveals when he recognises the rules.
• The Sundarpur Tigers vs The Green Warriors — The Sundarpur Tigers, led by captain Deepa, compete against the Green Warriors from a nearby village. Key moments during the match include Deepa knocking down the stones with the first shot, teammates Ravi and Nidhi placing stones under pressure, and newcomer Prakash placing the crucial seventh stone just before the final whistle to clinch the win.
• Teamwork and Traditional Games — A central theme of the chapter is the value of teamwork — every member of the Sundarpur Tigers contributes a stone to rebuild the stack during the tense match. At the end, both teams shake hands and the referee lifts the hands of both captains, celebrating sportsmanship. Deepa notes that playing Lagori was more exciting than video games, and Ravi agrees they should play traditional games more often.
• Language Activities — Words, Sentences, and Word Games — The chapter includes vocabulary exercises with new words such as stacked, dodged, opponent, referee, boundary, and teamwork. Students practise identifying synonyms and odd-ones-out, unscrambling letters (e.g. HTMAC = MATCH, IOUSNC = COUSIN), rearranging words into sentences, and distinguishing statements from questions. A word-grid treasure hunt asks students to find at least six words hidden in the story.

1. 01Lagori is a game of seven flat stones stacked one on top of the other, played between two teams using a ball.
2. 02The game is known as Satoliya in Rajasthan — Prakash (from Rajasthan) recognises it by that name.
3. 03The Sundarpur Tigers, captained by Deepa, defeat the Green Warriors from a nearby village.
4. 04Imran is described as a champion of the game and explains the rules to Prakash.
5. 05Deepa throws the first ball, knocking down the stones, and the Tigers begin rebuilding under pressure from the Green Warriors.
6. 06Prakash places the vital seventh stone just before the final whistle, sealing the Tigers' victory.
7. 07Both teams shake hands after the match and the referee lifts the hands of both captains, showing sportsmanship.
8. 08The chapter teaches new vocabulary words: stacked, dodged, opponent, referee, boundary, cousin, warriors, and teamwork.