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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.

Jun 25, 2011

KALA IMAMA TALIM BACHAO: SAVE WRESTLING'S AKHARA'

काळा इमाम तालीम बचाव, कुस्ती बचाव

Bindiya Pehlwan of J&K Wrestling at Dangal

Kushti



51st Sirla Bhaga Kesari dangal on June 27

The Northlines
JAMMU, June 23: Organised by Sirla Bhaga Dangal Committee in collaboration with J&K India Style Wrestling Association, the 51st Annual Sirla Bhaga Kesari Dangal shall take place on June 27 at Government High School Sirla Bhaga in district Reasi.
A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting held at Katra under the chairmanship of president J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association and member J&K State Sports Council, Shiv Kumar Sharma.
The members of Sirla Bhaga dangal Committee who attended the meeting were advocate Pawan Dev Singh, Bharat Singh, Jamit Singh, Munshi Ram, Nasib Singh, Gulair Singh, Master Ram Krishan (Retd.) and Mohd. Latif. Technical officials committee has been constituted for smooth conduct of the dangal consisting of Vijay Singh, Mohd. Fareed, Allah Mai (Ranga), Capt. (Retd.) Lehar Singh, Pawan Dev Singh and Gulair Singh.

Benia of J&K Lifts Fadya Kesari Dangal

JammuKashmir Newspoint
Wrestler Benia of Basantgarh in district Udhampur clinched the 43rd Annual Fadya Kesari Dangal title which was organized by Fadya Dangal Committee in collaboration with J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association. In the main bout, Benia trounced Kuldeep Khundu of Guru Hanuman Akhara Delhi to become rich by Rs 8000 while runners-up, Kuldeep was given away Rs 7,000 as cash prize by chief guest, president J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association, Shiv Kumar Sharma.
The second main bout was won by Somveer of Lala Ram Akhara Delhi beating Sukha of Rajasthan. While Somveer given away Rs 6,000, Sukha received Rs 5000 as cash prize. Third main bout went to wrestler Raju of Sirsa, who downed Anuj of Guru Hanuman Akhara Delhi while Jaswant of Rajasthan won the four bout outplaying Sandeep of Lala Ram Akhara Delhi.
In the final bouts, working president of district Reasi unit of the Association, Naresh Kumar (Pappu Lakri) and District Udhampur Horticulture officer, Virender Kumar Sharma were guests of honour. Sarpanch Sham Lal Sharma, Sarpanch Bhart Singh, Sarpanch Ram Parkash and Bashir Ahmed of Bamyal were also present on the occasion.
Members of organizing committee and those technical officials who helped in smooth conduct of dangal were Sarpanch Sham Lal Sharma, Bishan Dass, Rattan Lal, Suraj Din, Rehmat Ali, Sonu, Ram Singh, Lal Singh, Gulam Hussian, Jagir Singh, Manjoor Hussian, Rakesh Kumar, Kallu Ram, Mohd. Fareed, Papu Lakri, Virender Kumar Sharma and Nazir Hussian. Other Results: In other bouts, Anuj of Delhi beat Sadiq of Jammu; Anwar of Nargada beat Jagdev of Reasi; Gurdev Singh of Devi Garh beat Mustaq Ahmed of Raipur; Netar Ali of Nargada beat Mustaq Ali of Chibba. Bouts between Makhan Singh of Nargada and Nazir Ali of Nargada and Bittu of Nargada and Pawan Singh of Reasi ended in draw.

Jun 18, 2011

Visit to Guru Jasram Akaha by Deepak Ansuia Prasad











































mana pehalwan vs. patha jara pehalwan

Jaswant Pahalwan (Dighal wala) wrestling with Sohan Pahlawan

Kushti here is alive & kicking

The Tribune
By Ruma Kat


The state of Punjab is well-known for its warm nature and hospitality but it is also famous for its old form of martial art called Kushti. If earlier there were wrestlers (experts in kushti) like Gama Pehlwan, Sultani Wala, Sikander and Ram Krishan, in recent times there have been some familiar names like Dara Singh and Kartar Singh who have brought laurels to the state.

And even now this form of wrestling is very much alive and kicking in the akharas (wrestling arenas) of the villages in this area. And every effort is made to keep this legacy going.

The akhara here has been named after Kartar Singh, who was a two-time Asian Games gold-medallist from Sursingh village of this area. Now coach Balbir Singh trains about 35 to 40 wrestlers at this venue.

Whereas, earlier wrestlers practiced the traditional form on mud, today many akharas have been provided with the mats by the Government.

Kartar Singh, Chairman Wrestling Federation of India says, “We practiced on mud because we did not have mats at that time. But today it is beneficial for wrestlers to have this facility because after all the international tournaments are held on mats.”

Another wrestler Gursewak Singh (23) who has been practicing here for the last 12 years says, “Kartar ji has provided us with these mats and a pump has also been installed here for water. Practicing here is fun and in summers more than 60 wrestlers come here. We take part in wrestling competitions at village festivals and want to become the best wrestler of our village. Recently, I got a cash prize of Rs. 40,000 for being named the best wrestler at a village wrestling tournament.”

The state govt is also doing its bit to promote kushti in these parts. They give 15 wrestlers a daily diet of Rs 60 per day. Wrestlers come here from Moga and Amritsar and practice for 3-4 hours everyday. The villagers here have not forgotten their old form of martial art. The legacy of kushti here is very much alive.

Gama Pahalwan Dangal on 19th

The Nation
LAHORE – Gama Pahalwan (Rustam-e-Zaman) Dangal will be held at Punjab Football Stadium on June 19 while Sher-e-Punjab Dangal will be organised at Iqbal Park Wrestling Stadium (Minar-e-Pakistan) on June 26.
Chief Organiser Sports Punjab Ijaz Gull said this during a press conference here at the National Hockey Stadium on Saturday.
In the Gama Pahalwan (Rustam-e-Zaman) Dangal, Bashir Bhola Bhala will face Azam Pahalwan in the first bout and winner will get Rs 100,000 while runner-up will receive Rs 50,000.
The second bout will be between Shahid Pahalwan Khoai Wala (Sher-e-Punjab) Usman Shahid Pahalwan. The winner will get Rs 40,000 and runner-up Rs 30,000. In the third bout, Malo Pahalwan will take on Ijaz Jat Pahalwan of Gujranwala. Rs 15,000 will be given to winner and Rs 10,000 to loser.
The Sher-e-Punjab Dangal event will be held at Iqbal Park Wrestling Stadium on June 26. The first bout will be held between Shahid Pahalwan Khoai Wala and Nadir Dar. Winner will receive Rs 100,000 and Rs 50,000 for runner-up. In the second bout, Jhala Pahalwan of Gujranwala will meet Tari Pahalwan of Gulshan Ravi. Winner will get Rs 40,000 and runner-up Rs 30,000. In the last bout, Hafiz Israr Pahalwan will compete against Naeem Butt Pahalwan. Rs 15,000 will be given to winner and Rs 10,000 to runner-up.
Chief Organiser Sports Punjab Ijaz Gull said that he would like to thanks media for promoting sport and hoped that this time again, media would play its due role to promote these events.
When asked about absence of some renowned wrestlers in the events, Ijaz Gull replied that wrestling federation camp is in progress and those main players were the part of that camp, therefore, they were not participating in these events.

Khadam-i-Aala Dangal on 24th

Pakistan Today
LAHORE - The 8th Khadam-i-Aala Punjab Dangal will be held at Chichawatni on June 24 and will be participated by wrestlers from Lahore, Okara, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Pakpattan and the host city. According to convenor on wrestling, Mohsin Arshad said that in the first phase of the activity seven competitions will be held at Sialkot, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Nankan Sahib, Mandi Bahauddin, Lahore and Narowal. The event are being organised to give an opportunity to the local style wrestling and Chichawatni Municipal Administration will organise the dangal. DDO Qaiser Nadeem Chichawatni is the chairman organizing committee while Arshad is the organising secretary. Among chief guest will be Ch Mohammad Ashraf, Qazi Mohammad Ashfaq.

Punjab wrestler Jagroop wins Kawa Kesari dangal

JammuKashmir Newspoint
Punjab Wrestler Jagroop clinched the 3rd Annual Kawa Kesari Dangal outplaying Amit of Guru Hanuman Akhara Delhi rather easily in the main bout played at Govt. High School Kawa near Railway Station Udhampur.
For the title win, Jagroop received handsome cash prize of Rs 12,000 in addition to traditional Silver Gurj (Gadda) and Patta from chief guest, president J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association, Shiv Kumar Sharma and Sarpanch Kawa Durga Dass Padha while runner-up wrestler Amit got Rs 12,000 as cash prize money from Sarpanch Chamba Sham Singh and Papu Lakri of Katra.
Prominent among others present were Sarpanch Chamba (Katra), Sham Singh, District Horticulture officer Udhampur, Virender Sharma and Assistant Director (Retd.) Youth Service and Sports, Pritam Singh Kotwal were guests of honour. Members of organizing committee and those technical officials who helped in smooth conduct of Dangal were Sarpanch Durga Dass Padha, Modan Lal Sharma, Sat Paul Sharma, Raj Mohd., Rajinder Singh Katoch, Sheikhar Sharma, Vijay Kumar Sharma, Balwant Dubey, Gurmeet Singh, Kartar Chand, Raj Kishore, Parveen Kumar, Subash Kumar, Pritam Singh, Ex-Capt. Kapoor Singh, Mohd. Fareed, Vijay Singh, Sanjeev Sharma, Lashman, Ex-Sarpanch Tulinder Singh, Om Parkaash Verma, Virender Sharma and Papu Lakri. In all, 45 bouts were played in this day-long dangal.
Second main bout went to wrestler Bagga of Amritsar who defeated wrestler Sukha of Rajasthan. While third bout was won by Pankaj Raina of Guru Hanuman Akhara Delhi beating Jodha of Amritsar. Anuj of Guru Hanuman Akhara Delhi beat Satnam of Rajasthan in fourth main bout.
Other Results: Arjun of Power House Udhampur beat Kaka of Kawa, Ravinder of MP beat Rajesh of J&K Police, Satnam of Rajasthan beat Atterdin of Jammu, Jakker (Billu) of Jindarh beat Chotu of Kawa, Vijay of Choprashop beat Attru of Udhampur, Gurjant of Atri beat Jaswant of Rajasthan, Surinder of U.P beat Bagga of Atri, Ravinder of Haryana beat Chart of Atri, Billu of Atri beat Pritam Singh of Reasi, Rajeah of U P, beat Veer Singh of Reasi, Kudeep of Udhampur beat Rajveer of Gwalior, Billu of Haryana beat Makhan of Kathua, Subash of Udhampur beat Dimple of U P, and Rajesh of Mathura beat Rinku of Udhampur.

Sukha bags Karua Kesari Dangal Title

Early Times Report
JAMMU, June 15: Wrestler Sukha of Rajasthan lifted the Karua Kesari Dangal title beating Paula of Himachal Pardesh in the main bout that played at village Karua in district Reasi. This dangal was organized by Karua Dangal Committee in association with J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association.
Winner Sukha was presented a cash prize of Rs 5,000 in addition to traditional silver Gurj and Patta while runner-up, Paula received Rs 3,000 from president J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association, Shiv Kumar Sharma and Sarpanch Karua Ram Parkash.
In all, 31 bouts were played in this day-long dangal. The second main bout went to wrestler, Jakker Hussain beating Yodha of Amritsar while third bout between Raju of Kapurthalla and Kallu of Shiv Mandir Akhara Jammu ended in a draw.

Other Results: Billa of Jammu beat Tony of Himachal; Liakat Ali of Panthal beat Parveen of Uttar Pradesh; Bagga of Gurdasspur beat Kuldeep of Ramnagar; Ganesh of Banaras beat Nisan Ali of Jammu; Swarn Singh of Kot Bhawal Jammu beat Guragent of Attari Amritsar; Naresh of Jammu beat Babba of Attari; Pinda of Atari beat Sanjay of Haryana; Ajay of Udhampur beat Anil of Himachal; Pritam Singh of Reasi beat Amir Khan of Nargada Jammu; Murad Ali of Nagrota Jammu beat Chinni of Banaras; Football of Jammu beat Billu of Harayana; Karnail Singh of Reasi beat Sunny of Jammu and Manoj of Banaras beat Murad Ali of Nargada Jammu.

Binda-Gani Share Bhagani Kesari Dangal Title

State Times
JAMMU: Wrestler Binda of Garh Shanker Akhara and Abdul Gani of Doda shared the 32nd Annual Bhagani Kesari dangal title after their 39 minutes long main bout ended in a draw at Bhagani in block Bhalwal of District Jammu.
Both the wrestlers were awarded a cash prize of Rs 51,000 .
The Dangal was organised by Dangal Committee Bhagani in association with J and K Indian Style Wrestling Association.
Second main bout that lasted for 42 minutes between Satnam (Gori) of Machivara Akhara (Ludhiana) and Rehmat Ali ended in a draw. Both wrestlers shared Rs 31,000 cash prize between them.
Third bout went to Kamaljit of Jallander, who beat Sagar of Sat Paul Akhara Delhi, while fourth bout was won by Jakker of Jammu beating Onkar Singh of BSF (Kathua).
A veteran wrestler Billa (a national silver medalist) from Nargada was also felicitated with golden chain worth Rs 21,000 by the Dangal Committee, Bhagani for his life-time achievement in the field of wrestling.
Other Results: Bunty of Jammu bt Ashraf of Mallerkotla, Akram of Jammu bt Makhan Din of Amritsar, Naresh of Nargada bt Shesha of BSF of Jammu, Swarn Singh of Kot Bhawal bt Satnam of Rajasthan, Daler Khan of J&K Police Jammu bt Hardip of Rajasthan, Bagga of Kot Bhawal bt Javed of Nargada, Barkat of Mallerkotla bt Surjan of Jammu and Murad Ali of Nagrota bt Makhan of Amritsar. Bouts between Prem Verma of Jhiri and Akbar of Mallerkotla; Manzoor of Nagrada and Shamsher of Jammu; Sunit Singh of Kalakot and Balli of Jammu; Farooq of Jammu and Nav Preet of Khanna; Attar Din of Jammu and Gurdev of Ludhiana, Bobari of Jammu and Jeeta of Khanna, Parveen of Khanna and Kulbir Singh of Kot Bhawal Jammu; Kallu of Jammu and Gurdev of Ludhiana; and Bobari of Jammu and Atter Din of Jammu ended in draw.

Jun 11, 2011

VISIT WITH GURU SHRI CHARAN SINGH

Guru Shri Charan Singh is a renowned former wrestler who is now training India's future champions at his akhara in Haryana. Guruji shares his thought on wrestling with Deepak Ansuia Prasad.






In India, there are many stories about great wrestlers of the past. If you ask about wrestling, someone will say that there is a great wrestler from their village who defeated another wrestler from far away. He’ll say that he is very famous and that people love and respect him very much. Then, you’ll hear about the rest of his life. Maybe the wrestler couldn’t find employment   but stuck to his game by opening a wrestling club and teaching the art to younger generations.




Wrestling fans in India talk about their sport with great emotion. Wrestling legends live on in people’s hearts. They watched their matches and adored them. And later people would help these wrestlers as they made the leap from competitor to coach, building new wrestling akharas.Raj Pahuja, a friend of mine, told me about just such a wrestler. His name was Shri Charan Singh. He fought the very best wrestlers of his time and after he retired from competition was asked by the town people to set up an akhara to serve as a breeding ground for young talent in the area. Keen to know more about the guru ji, I went to visit his akhara in Panchvati, Palwal, Haryana, about 60 kilometers from Delhi.It was 6 a.m. when I got to the akhara and the pupils were warming up for morning practice. The sun was beginning to rise as two young wrestlers were grinding almonds to be mixed with milk – a staple of the wrestlers’ diet. The milk and almonds would be served to wrestlers after practice.Guru ji Shri Charan Singh welcomed me warmly while he gave his students instructions on how to prepare for the day.


























It was a beautiful akhara, with good facilities, food and housing. Many veteran wrestlers come and give tips to aspiring wrestlers. There were cows for milk, running water for bathing, and an indoor wrestling room with a wrestling mat, which was provided by the government. There was a grinding stone for wheat, a television and a vehicle to bring wrestlers to dangals. 
The dirt wrestling pit was dug, leveled and then sanctified. Incense was brought before Lord Hanumanji and then before guruji and us. We all asked blessings from the god, and the practice began.Guruji coached his students on wrestling techniques while we were busy filming. After the practice we sat with guruji and he told us about wrestling and about the akhara.
The akhara is called Sitaram Vtyaamshala, also know as Panchvati akhara as the Pandava were believed to come here while they were in exile.“I was at Delhi for a short time at Guru Chandrup’s akhara and learned the art there. Delhi is the market for everything including wrestling,” guruji said, adding that he considered Guru Chandrup as his own guru.
He came to this place in Haryana in 1984 and people urged him to open an akhara. He formed a committee to run the akhara and has been coaching wrestlers here ever since.“Wrestling can never die,” said guruji. “It is in the hearts of people and so will remain forever, however trends are towards cricket. When a child is  born he is presented with a bat and ball, money flows into cricket and there are corporate sponsors and media, while wrestlers are starved of the fame and money they deserve,” guruji said.“I have been provided with mat but no coach. So sometimes I think it is futile. How can we excel at mat wrestling, without a freestyle coach?” 
Guruji told me that the sport of wrestling, especially traditional Indian wrestling can never die. “There are more and more wrestling clubs opening, and more and more boys are joining the akhara. The prizes for the wrestlers in dangals have also gone up sharply, however the prizes are not sufficient for a wrestler to live on, so they should also be provided with employment opportunities. When they win medals or wrestle at state or international competition this will give them some money. Money is necessary,” he said.
Guruji welcomes corporate and government sponsorship and points out that historically, wrestling was patronized by kings and gods. “Nowadays government and corporations play the role of kings and gods. And kings should take care of their people.”While talking, the pupil brought in a big glass of badam milk. I drank it to fill my belly and thanked them for their hospitality.