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This blog belongs to everyone interested in preserving and promoting traditional Indian wrestling. Please feel free to contribute photos, videos, links to news articles or your own blog posts. E-mail contributions to kushtiwrestling@gmail.com.

Mar 31, 2010

Asraf Ansari Duniya Ka Nami Pahlwan

Lalli and Kamaljit joint winners for Bari Jhandi

BALBIR SINGH   
Tuesday, 30 March 2010

MULLANPUR: Lalli of Kuali and Kamajit Dhumcheri kept more than 3500 spectators spell bound in the most important bout of the Vishal Kusti Dangal organised by Vishwakarama Mahavir Gymnasium and Wrestling Club in Mullanpur on Monday.
Both wrestlers were evenly matched in the bout fought on a muddy akhara, a traditional arena for Indian wrestlers.
With equal points, they were declared joint winners for the "Bari Jhandi" which carried a cash prize of Rs 51,000. They split the money.
In a bout which carried a cash prize of Rs 41,000, Kinder Lalian outpointed Balwinder Delhi. Kinder got Rs 27,000 and Balwinder will take home Rs 14,000.
In another prize money of  Rs 41,000, Sunny Lalian and Kakka Baras were declared joint winners and they split the prize money equally.
Local wrestler Gollu Mullanpur and Satish of Alamgir were involved in an exciting draw. With equal honours, Gollu and Satish split Rs 41,000. Another local wrestler Ashok defeated Kukoo Barliwal for a cash prize of Rs 21,000.
Tarsem of Mullanpur defeated Kuldeep Nada and pocked Rs 3100. There were several other bouts which carried cash prizes.
According to Organising Secretary Vinod Sharma more than 500 wrestlers from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and other states took part in the wrestling dangal.
Former Kansal Sarpanch Arjun Singh inaugurated the dangal while Hardayal Singh Cheema distributed the prizes. Club president Sher Singh, vice-president Harjinder Singh Rana and cashier Ravi Sharma were also present on the occasion.
The organisers also engaged more than 12 'dholus" who kpet in beating drumbs in groups to cheer up the wrestlers.

Mar 28, 2010

Kushti match from dangal in Haryana



Another match from a great dangal in Sampli village in Haryana. The pit was very crowded, but there were so many wrestlers that several matches had to be fought at once to accommodate.

Mar 19, 2010

Wrestlers practicing kushti at an akhara - クシュティ

Photos of wrestling practice at akhara from a Japanese traveler's blog.
Read the blog post in Japanese here
or in English here

Japanese wrestler spars with Pehlwans

A Japanese wrestler tries sparring with wrestlers at an akhara outside of Bangalore.
Read his blog post in Japanese here
or in English here


Japanese blog post on Kushti

A Japanese traveler to India visits and akhara and tries practicing with the wrestlers.
Read the blog in Japanese here
Or translated to English via Google here
Or translated to Hindi here

Hanuman's Army - from Asia Literary Review

By Palani Mohan
Asia Literary Review



LORD HANUMAN, the monkey god of the Ramayana, is revered in Kolhapur. It was Hanuman who helped rescue Sita, Rama’s wife, from the demon Ravana. And it was Hanuman who flew to the Himalayas and carried back a mountain with medicinal herbs to save Rama’s brother, Laksmana. He symbolises immense strength and fearlessness and it is to him that India’s wrestlers pray for victory.


Since India’s wrestlers took home medals from the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the spotlight has been turned on kushti, a 3,000-year-old martial art still practised in small pockets of India, Pakistan and Iran; a relic, if you like, of shared Aryan traditions and with a rich moral, ethical, philosophical and mystical heritage. Its ancestry is that of the warrior and it finds mention in the historical record of Parthia, which prevailed as an empire from 132BCE–226CE, a thorn in the side of Rome until vanquished in the time of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. But by then kushti had spread throughout the Roman empire; it is arguably the antecedent of the Graeco-Roman style.


Kushti is under threat as India’s sporting authorities, buoyed by Olympic success, seek to force its best practitioners to abandon the mud pits for the wrestling mat and train in the more recognised styles of wrestling.



READ MORE HERE

Kolhapur Wrestlers training on mat

Wrestlers at Motibag Akhara do some mat training in the afternoon.

Mar 11, 2010

Kushti technique

Siasat Editor's Call To Govt To Encourage Wrestling

Andhra Mirror


The Bamas Akahada today felicitated Mr Habeeb Abdullah Jillani who won the   Rustum-E- Deccan (Kesari) award in the 15th state level Indian Wrestling competition conducted by SAAP here on February 15.


Editor of Siasat Urdu daily Mr Zahid Ali Khan, who was the Chief Guest on the occasion, said that wrestling was one of the oldest sport in the Indian style. Being a Hyderabadi, he is proud of Mr Habbeeb Abdullah who won the medal. He said that the government has been neglecting the old sport of wrestling. He urged the government to give state Award to wrestlers who won the medal, and encourage the sport. He urged the government to help the players of the State to participate in the National Level games. He urged the government to develop and encourage the sport.


Mr Habeeb Abdullah Jillani has won the medal in the 80-120 Kg category in the state level competition. He urged the government to provide equipment, job and financial support to him to participate in the national and international games.

Morri Kesari Dangal on March 21

EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 8: Organised by Moori Dangal committee under the banner of J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association, the 55th Annual Kesari Vishal Dangal shall he held on March 21 near Middle School Moori on Jammu Katra road.
A decision in this regard was taken in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Shiv Kumar Sharma, president of J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association.
The members who attended the meeting were Badri Nath, Om Parkash, Romesh Kumar, Dharam Chand, Sher Mohd., Jakeen Ali, Brij Paul Singh and Suraj Parkash.
Shiv Kumar Sharma said that about 60-65 wrestlers from within and out side the state are going to take part in the this dangal. Sharma informed that an expenditure of Rs one lakh is likely to incur in this day long competition.
The whole amount has been generated by Moori Dangal Committee by means of donation and contribution.

Mar 9, 2010

Champion speaks out against treatment of wrestlers in Pakistan

Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan listens in as a former Pakistani wrestling Champion details how the government has abandoned the traditional Martial Art of Pakistan and neglected to take care of the many champions that have competed on behalf of the nation to later find themselves poor and forgotten.  
 


http://www.youtube.com/user/PAKMMA

Mar 8, 2010

Wrestlers training in Mysore

This akhara in Mysore is next to a major police station, so some of the police officers come here to practice wrestling during their breaks.

Mar 6, 2010

Nagpanchmi Wrestling Competition from the 1940s

This film below from the Centre of South Asia Studies at Cambridge shows some interesting footage of the Nagpanchmi Wrestling Competition in the early 1940s. Click on the thumbnail image below to watch the movie. The wrestling is about 1 minute into the clip.


Mar 5, 2010

Wrestling Match from Kushti Dangal

This was an early match at the dangal in Haryana. The pit was very crowded as so many wrestlers had turned up to compete. 




http://www.youtube.com/user/kushtiwrestling