Akharas grappling with tradition

May 3: Two pairs of men, stripped down to their underwear, crouched. They slapped their thighs, then their shoulders. And then violently gra...

May 3: Two pairs of men, stripped down to their underwear, crouched. They slapped their thighs, then their shoulders. And then violently grabbed at their opponents ears and thumped their legs on the mud pit.

The few hundreds excited spectators, who had probably never seen better action than Akshay Kumar bashing a few bored extras, roared in approval at the YMCA ground in Agripada on Friday. The All Maharashtra Wrestling competition organised on the occasion of Maharashtra Day, was a success.

The tournament saw 116 wrestlers from different parts of the state gather at the ground to participate in the unique event and give Mumbaikars something different to cheer about, wrestling akhara style.

The ear grabbing ritual followed by the bringing down of the opponent 8212; usually landing on their ears 8212; means wrestlers have misshapen ears. To go with their intimidating physiques.

The five feet 10 inches tall, 90-kg of walking badam and milk tanker, Asahab Baig Ahmed was one of the reasons for themeet. The winner of the Kamgar Kesari was being honoured and this was the way chosen, explained Faiyaz Ahmed Khan, a local MLA and one of the organisers.

The 20-year-old Asahab, whose daily diet consists only of milk, badam and eggs, comes from a family of wrestlers. His father, Hasim Pehalwan and brother Feroz Pehalwan were both wrestlers of repute, with the latter having been a Maharashtra Kesari and a bronze medallist at the 8217;89 Nationals.

So when the youngest of four decided to settle down in Madanpur from his native Faizabad in UP five years ago, the reason was simple. To master the art from guru Shivaji Panchpute and represent the country.

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With a third place at the Nationals in Delhi and in the state meet at Nashik, the wrestler believes he is ready for another jump. This time to Delhi to train under Satpal Singh, a former student of the legendary Guru Hanuman.

8220;I want to represent the country,8221; said the giant, warming up for his fight. 8220;I want to go to the Asian Games and maybe to theOlympics too.8221;

Wrestlers are known by their gurus. They belong to a particular gurukul, like Hindustani singers. The sport thrives on tradition and most wrestlers merely follow on the footsteps of their wrestler fathers.

Which also solves the problem of finding a coach. 8220;My father is my guru,8221; said 17-year-old Prithviraj Sambhaji Pawar, son of the Sangli MLA Sambhaji Pawar, who took to wrestling just as easily as Asahab did. With father8217;s inspiration, six hours of daily talim and a devoted younger brother, also his aide, Prithviraj is on the threshold of a what Faiyaz promises will be 8220;an interesting career8221;.

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The baby faced 58217;10 tall, 78 kg pehalwan, who was initiated into the sport five years ago, says the tradition of wrestling also passes on some superstitions. Probably the reason why his younger brother would not let anyone cross over Prithviraj8217;s clothes piled on the ground. 8220;You have to walk beside them,8221; he said, without explaining why.

The winner of the event tookhome Rs 10,000 donated by various lovers of the sport, Faiyaz said, while the vanquished had to be satisfied with Rs 5,000.

But was the surprisingly strong crowd that had the best time. The eclectic mix enjoyed the atmosphere, voicing their opinion 8212; ranging from 8220;Jiyo pehalwan8221; to the urbane 8220;cool man8221; 8212; as another wrestler bit the dust.