Khela

Khela is a Bengali term that primarily means game or play. In everyday use, it covers a wide range of activities, from sports and competitive contests to performative or staged acts. The word carries connotations of movement, activity, and engagement, and it is employed in both casual speech and literary or artistic contexts to evoke the idea of performance, action, or contest.

Etymology and cognates: Khela derives from Sanskrit and is cognate with similar forms in other Indo-Aryan languages, such as Hindi khel and Marathi khel. The root often appears in phrases related to playing, gaming, or acting.

Cultural usage: In Bengali culture, the concept of khela appears in literature, theatre, and film as a metaphor for human interaction, rivalry, and creativity. Because of its broad sense of activity and performance, khela is a flexible symbol in storytelling and commentary, capable of signaling competition, collaboration, or playful mischief.

In media and discourse: The word has been used as a title or thematic element in Bengali-language works and other South Asian media, reflecting its evocative appeal as a marker of motion, engagement, and social interaction. Its usage underscores the close association between play, life, and performance in the region’s cultural imagination.

See also: Khel, the Hindi and broader Indo-Aryan cognate meaning game or play; Khela, as the Bengali form of the same concept.