“Some of my family members used to enter the akhada to stay physically fit, while some had dangals (competitions) and medals on their minds,” says 23-year-old Gopal Thakur, a second-generation wrestler who dreams of winning Olympic gold.
For a medal-deficient country, the breaking news of an Olympic medal is music to our ears. Wrestling (pehlwani) in India has a number of facets, from kushti (traditional mud wrestling) in the akhara, to commercially successful pro-wrestling in the ring, the realm of prospects and opportunities is expanding for young wrestlers across India.
Gopal has tried mastering all, but settling on Olympic-style mat wrestling, he admits, "Competition kaafi hai, insaan ko vo karna chahiy to jo vo kar sake" (Amidst the competition, it is better to stick to what one can do best).
With the carefully crafted commercial model of wrestling and kabaddi leagues and a sudden recent love for wrestling in Bollywood, the akhara is luring more eyes than ever in terms of both wrestlers and admirers.
However, it’s not all easy pickings for this wrestler. He explains his likes and dislikes – "My coach is my hero, after Hanuman. My mat is my passion. My college is my torment. My shop is my livelihood and duty."
His mat is his solace, akhara his peace. The laboured ease of the akhara is what rouses him. The pearly sweat glides over his skin during the morning practice session, the flame in his muscles starts flickering once he leaves for college.
The flame, undeterred yet low on fuel, strives to fight through the monotony of handling a small concrete shack in Old Delhi.
“I sell what I don't consume – tobacco – for five hours a day, to people I don't know,” says a perplexed Gopal standing in a small shack worth the livelihood of six people. The flame falters and is about to snuff out.
From mud to concrete is a transition from a burning soul of desire, into a meaningless body of Sisyphus. "Medals shall be won, gradually, but definitely," he says and signs off to go back to roll another rock uphill.
Gopal wrestles at Master Chandgiram Akhara, one of the major akharas of Delhi, with facilities freely available to both male and female wrestlers.
(Piyush Nagpal is a student and freelance journalist based in Delhi who aims to report stories from unusual perspectives, making use of the visual media. He is currently enrolled as a student of journalism at AJK MCRC Jamia Millia Islamia.)
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