Akhada: The Authorized Biography of Mahavir Singh Phogat by Saurabh Duggal

Author:Saurabh Duggal [Duggal, Saurabh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hachette India
Published: 2017-01-06T22:00:00+00:00

DANGAL

Wrestling has been a part of Indian life for centuries.

In ancient India wrestlers enjoyed the patronage of rulers and kings who would pit them against champions from other states or countries in a show of muscle. One such wrestler was the Great Gama, popularly known as Gama pehelwan, who remained undefeated against the most prominent wrestlers of his time. A famous wrestling match between Gama pehelwan and the Polish wrestler Stanislaus Zbyszko was held in the Maharaja of Patiala’s court in 1928. As per the annals of wrestling history, Gama won the bout in two-and-a-half seconds in front of a 40,000-strong crowd.

Impressed by Gama’s feat, the Maharaja of Patiala, Bhupinder Singh, gifted the wrestler the pearl necklace he was wearing before awarding him with a village and an annual stipend of ₹6,000, a monumental sum at the time.

Today, the rural sport persists due to its strong traditional and cultural heritage. However, the survival of kushti (traditional Indian wrestling) is mainly dependent on dangals, which are either run on the community’s contribution or political sponsorship.

‘Wrestling is widely popular in rural areas across the country. Most of the bigger dangals have been held since as far as anyone can remember. Ask any villager and they will tell you that their grandfathers and their fathers have either participated in or watched kushti. Over the years, many new dangals have cropped up and are mainly organized by the village panchayats. Collections from the local community are the major source of funding for these arenas to sustain the tradition and culture of pehelwani [wrestling],’ explains Mahavir.

‘These dangals contribute significantly in shaping the careers of wrestlers. They may have learnt numerous dau-pech (techniques) in training, but it is at the dangals that they truly learn the efficacy of all that they have been trained in, which helps them find their feet in the competitive world. Besides, dangals also provide wrestlers who come from humble backgrounds with much-needed financial and social security,’ he adds.

However, things do not remain as simple when it comes to women wrestlers. Even now, in most areas, dangals do not entertain female wrestlers, largely due to the patriarchal social system prevalent in India, and this is even more so in Haryana, a state where patriarchy is deeply ingrained in people’s psyche. In the state, men maintain their dominance over women in all spheres of life: social, economical, cultural and political and, thus, even in sports. If the women or even men attempt to transform the social structure, the deep-rooted purdah (veil) system – one that insists women cover their heads and even their faces in the presence of men – throws up more challenges and resistance their way.

Participation in sports, particularly a close-combat sport like wrestling, demands the shedding of purdah, but it is easier said than done. While men slather mud on their bodies to display their physical prowess and a crowd brimming with raucous spectators cheers them on, women are not even meant to jostle for a view amid the crowd, let alone step into a mud pit.

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