Akharas in Punjab

Sons of the Soil
by Ramesh Vinayak

In the rural sport milieu of Punjab, akharas have always been an institution by themselves. These traditional wrestling centres have not only promoted the sporting culture, but have also honed the skills of wrestlers known for their exploits in the national and international arenas.

With wrestler Sushil Kumar winning a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics, the interest in wrestling has been re-kindled, as is evident from the rising number of trainees at the akharas.

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