Amidst the bustling locality of Nagpada in central Mumbai is a small space where young men sweat it out in their endeavour to become professional kushtee pehelwaans or wrestlers. Among the sweating, grunting young men, 32-year-old Ahsaab Malik stands happily, watching the fruits of labour that dates back to four generations. Spanning across 24 ft by 24 ft, the akhada or traditional gymnasium is located in Jhoola Maidan, Nagpada, and is managed by the young men’s Christian association. Malik, who has won several medals at the national and international level in kushtee, belongs to a family that has been promoting the sport for the past 65 years. “Our association with the sport began around partition, when Gama Pehelwaan, a renowned wrestler, came to stay in India. My grandfather, Hamidullah Malik, was associated with him, and he himself was an active wrestler. The passion was passed down from him to my father Hasim, to my elder brother Firoz and then to me. All of us have had a great influence of wrestling on us right since childhood as we have grown up listening to tales and seeing our elders train hard. It has left an indelible impression,” narrates Malik, who has actively been promoting the sport for the past nine years Malik’s akhada, which also comprises a small changing room and shower, is one of the few in Mumbai that actively encourages youngsters to pursue their dreams to make it big in the sport. Young men from across the city come to the akhada to train and practice. Malik charges as low as Rs 80 per month from trainees, and gathers the rest of the funds through donations from various interested parties. At times, people who win cash prizes in tournaments also willingly donate a part of their prize money towards the maintenance of the akhada. “Even during school exams, I have 15 to 20 youngsters come for training. On normal days, there are at least 35 to 40 upcoming wrestlers. I pick out the best from the lot and send them to Pune, where the wrestling circuit is more active and there is more scope for better training will a lot more facilities,” said Malik. The Malik family belongs to the Allanpur town in UP, and many Allanpuris who stay in Nagpada and Madanpura also train in his akhada. The other big task before the Maliks is the maintenance of the akhada, which is no mean feat. The red mud which is scattered over the practice ground of the akhada comes all the way from Kolhapur, and Malik brings in two dumpers of red mud at least twice a year. The mud is then mixed with several kgs of mustard oil, lemon pulp, curd and turmeric powder, and is then scattered over the ground. “All these ingredients are proven healing agents and are also good for the skin. They provide essential nutrition to the skin and the bones of the wrestlers, and help speed up the healing process whenever they sustain any injuries,” Malik explains. Malik himself is a clerk with the Central Railways. He said his interest in the sport renewed after he learned about Indian wrestlers, including Sushil Kumar, winning medals in Olympics over the past few years. gautam.mengle@expressindia.com
