T'HAT athletic contests and other types of public spectacle were a feature of the religious and social life of ancient Greece and Rome. In Greece the games served at first as an element in various religious observances: Some were held in honour of the gods, some as offerings of thanksgiving. Others, in later times, were held in honour of living persons. The Greek games, with their attendant processions, feasts, and music, played an important role in developing the appreciation of physical beauty that is typical of Greek art and literature. Until a relatively late stage in Greek history, the participants in the games were drawn from among the citizens rather than from among pro--fessional athletes. As the games took on an increasingly professional character, they rapidly declined in public esteem. The four major cycles of games were the Olympian Games, the Pythian Games, the Isthmian Games, and the Ne-mean Games.

The gods have obviously gone. But the tradition of feasts remain till today. At the Dhaka Stadium a portion of ghugnee with a squeeze of limboo is an all-time favourite. Also comes to the mind a delicacy called bara (12) Jhaal tera(13) masala. Of course, you may sometimes end up with having chowda (14) antacids.