Pehlwani (2).docx b3m3h

Pehlwani (khusti) Introduction: Kusti is Pakistan’s traditional wrestling on soil. This ancient sport used to hold great importance in Pakistani societies, its popularity over the recent years however, has dwindled tremendously Kushti is particularly famous in the Punjab which has bread and flourished many famous internationally renowned players of the last century. One of these is Gama Phailwan who was awarded World Heavyweight Champion in 1910 by India. He also remains the only undefeated Kushti player in the history of Pakistan during his whole career. Interestingly, Kulsoom Nawaz, the wife of Nawaz Sharif (President of Pakistan) is the grand-daughter of Gama Phailwan.

History: Lahore is one cities where Kusti seems to be thriving. The sport is as popular as ever in the villages that surround the city. When matches are held, as many as 20,000 spectators attend. Despite its popularity there are only a handful of known Akhara’s in or around the city, where both young and senior enthusiasts from different sects of the society come together irrespective of their cultural setup.

Gruelling daily training, strict diet and celibacy for the duration of their careers are necessary if they hope to ever achieve their dream – to become a champion ‘phailwan’ (wrestler). But as modernity sweeps Pakistan and Western sports like cricket become more popular, some Akhara’s are being abandoned and left without any financial help. After prayers are said and the pit prepared, the wrestlers rub their faces and bodies, and those of their opponents, with red dirt, which serves both as a blessing and to improve grip during the bout. The wrestlers spar for several hours. They eat and rest and, in the evening, the routine is repeated. Using the soil to reduce impact and improve movement, wrestlers intertwine their bodies in complex techniques. Before training, the floor is raked of any pebbles or stones. Buttermilk, oil, and red ochre are sprinkled to the ground, giving the dirt its red hue. Water is added every few days to keep it at the right consistency; soft enough to avoid injury but hard enough so as not to impede the wrestlers’ movements. Every match is preceded by the wrestlers throwing a few handfuls of dirt from the floor on themselves and their opponent as a form of blessing. Despite the marked boundaries of the arena, competitors may go outside the ring during a with no penalty. There are no rounds but the length of every bout is specified beforehand, usually about 25-30 minutes. If both competitors agree, the length of the match may be extended. Match extensions are typically around 10-15 minutes.[5] A win is achieved by pinning the opponent’s shoulders and hips to the ground simultaneously, although victory by knockout, stoppage or submission is also possible. In some variations of the rules, only pinning

the shoulders down is enough. Bouts are overseen by a referee inside the ring and a of two judges watching from the outside For many Kushti is a route out of poverty, a striving for status, for the rural poor. “Nearly 90 per cent of them are from poor farming families,” says Kadam in Kolhapur. “The rest are the children of landless labourers, carpenters, and so on. Only a handful are from the educated classes. Wrestling is also a ion. Barely five per cent of pehelwans make it to higher levels.” Wrestling competitions, known as dangal, are held in villages and as such are variable and flexible. The arena is either a circular or square shape, measuring at least fourteen feet across. Rather than using modern mats, South Asian wrestlers train and compete on dirt floors. Despite the many champions they’ve produced — and despite top political leaders heading their federations — the gurus of kushti have received little from government. It’s a complaint across western Maharashtra that Punjab and Haryana treat their wrestlers a lot better. Changes in society and culture, the decline of small-holder farming, a recurring water-crisis and State neglect have combined to undermine what is perhaps the most deep-rooted sport in the rural economy. “A wrestler’s life,” says Andhalkar, “is a kind of invisible tapasya. A small injury to a cricketer will play a thousand times in the media. A wrestler dies, no one cares.”.

Tanning: Although wrestling in South Asia saw changes in the Mughal era and the colonial period, the training regimen has remained the same for over 150 years. Fledgling wrestlers may start as early as 6, but most begin formal training in their teens. They are sent to an akhara or traditional wrestling school where they are put under the apprenticeship of the local guru. Their only training attire is the kowpeenam or loincloth. Vyayam or physical training is meant to build strength and develop muscle bulk and flexibility. Exercises that employ the wrestler's own bodyweight include the Surya Namaskara, shirshasana, and the danda, which are also found in hatha yoga, as well as the bethak. Sawari (from Persian savâri, meaning "the enger") is the practice of using another person's bodyweight to add resistance to such exercises.

An old Indian pehlwan exercising with Indian clubs near Varanasi. Exercise regimens may employ the following weight training devices:



The nal is a hollow stone cylinder with a handle inside.



The gar nal (neck weight) is a circular stone ring worn around the neck to add resistance to danda and bethak.



The gada (mace) is a club associated with Hanuman. An exercise gada is a heavy round stone attached to the end of a meter-long bamboo stick. Trophies take the form of gada made of silver and gold.



Indian clubs, exercise clubs introduced by the Mughals.

Exercise regimens may also include dhakuli which involve twisting rotations, rope climbing, log pulling and running. Massage is regarded an integral part of a wrestler's exercise regimen. A typical training day will go as follows: 

3 AM: Wake up and perform press-ups (danda) and squats (bethak), as many as 4000. Run for 5 miles, followed by swimming and lifting stone and sandbags.



8 AM: Teachers watch as the trainees wrestle each other in earth pits continuously for 3 hours. This is around 25 matches in a row. Matches start with the senior wrestlers. The youngest go last.



10 AM: Wrestlers are given an oil massage before resting.



4 PM: After another massage, trainees wrestle each other for another 2 hours.



8 PM: The wrestler goes to sleep.



m press-ups (danda) and squats (bethak), as many as 4000. Run for 5 miles, followed by swimming and lifting stone and sandbags.



8 AM: Teachers watch as the trainees wrestle each other in earth pits continuously for 3 hours. This is around 25 matches in a row. Matches start with the senior wrestlers. The youngest go last.



10 AM: Wrestlers are given an oil massage before resting.



4 PM: After another massage, trainees wrestle each other for another 2 hours.



8 PM: The wrestler goes to sleep.

Diet: According to the Samkhya school of philosophy, everything in the universe—including people,

activities,

and

foods—can

be

sorted

into

three gunas: sattva (calm/good), rajas (ionate/active), and tamas (dull/lethargic).

Ghee, amongst the most sattvic of foods consumed for wrestlers As a vigorous activity, wrestling has an inherently rajasic nature, which pehlwan counteract through the consumption of sattvic foods. Milk and ghee are regarded as the most sattvic of foods and, along with almonds, constitute the holy trinity of the pehlwani khurak (from Persian ‫ خللوراک پهلللوانی‬khorâk-e pahlavani), or diet. A common snack for pehlwan are chickpeas that have been sprouted overnight in water and seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon; the water in which the chickpeas were sprouted is also regarded as nutritious. Various articles in the Indian wrestling monthly Bharatiya Kushti have recommended the consumption of the following fruits: apples, wood-apples, bananas, figs, pomegranates, gooseberries, lemons, and watermelons. Orange juice and green vegetables are also recommended for their sattvic nature. Some pehlwan eat meat in spite of its tamasic nature. Ideally, wrestlers are supposed to avoid sour and excessively spiced foods such as chatni and achar as well as chaat. Mild seasoning with garlic, cumin, coriander, and turmeric is acceptable. The consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and paan is strongly discouraged.

Techniques:

It has been said that most of the moves found in the wrestling forms of other countries are present in kushti, and some are unique to South Asia. These are primarily locks, throws, pins, and submission holds. Unlike its ancient ancestor malla-yuddha, kushti does not permit strikes or kicks during a match. Among the most favored maneuvres are the dhobi paat (shoulder throw) and the kasauta (strangle pin). Other moves include the baharli, dhak, machli gota and the multani

Rules:

Kushti in Bharatpur Wrestling competitions, known as dangle or kushti, are held in villages and as such are variable and flexible. The arena is either a circular or square shape, measuring at least fourteen feet across. Rather than using modern mats, South Asian wrestlers train and

compete on dirt floors. Before training, the floor is raked of any pebbles or stones. Buttermilk, oil, and red ochre are sprinkled to the ground, giving the dirt its red hue. Water is added every few days to keep it at the right consistency; soft enough to avoid injury but hard enough so as not to impede the wrestlers' movements. Every match is preceded by the wrestlers throwing a few handfuls of dirt from the floor on themselves and their opponent as a form of blessing. Despite the marked boundaries of the arena, competitors may go outside the ring during a match with no penalty. There are no rounds but the length of every bout is specified beforehand, usually about 25–30 minutes. If both competitors agree, the length of the match may be extended. Match extensions are typically around 10–15 minutes. A win is achieved by pinning the opponent's shoulders and hips to the ground simultaneously, although victory by knockout, stoppage or submission is also possible. In some variations of the rules, only pinning the shoulders down is enough. Bouts are overseen by a referee inside the ring and a of two judges watching from the outside. Official titles awarded to kushti champions are as follows. Note that the title Rustam is actually the hero's name of the Persian Shahnameh epic. 

"Rustam-e-Hind": Champion of India. Dara Singh from Punjab, Krishna Kumar from Haryana, Muhammad Buta Pehlwan, Imam Baksh Pehlwan, Hamida Pehlwan, Vishnupant Nagrale, Dadu Chaugle and Harishchandra Birajdar (Lion of India) from Maharashtra, Mangla Rai from Uttar Pradesh and Pehlwan Shamsher Singh (Punjab Police) held the Rustam-e-Hind title in the past. Vishnupant Nagrale was the first wrestler ever to hold this title.



"Maharashtra Kesari": Lion of Maharashtra. Maharashtra Kesari is an Indianstyle wrestling championship. Narsinh Yadav (three-time winner) [7]



"Rustam-e-Punjab”: (also spelled Rustam-e-Punjab) Champion of Panjab. Pehlwan Shamsher Singh (Punjab Police) Pehlwan Salwinder Singh Shinda was a six time Rustam-e-Panjab,



"Rustam-e-Zamana": World Champion. The Great Gama became known as Rustam-e-Zamana when he defeated Stanislaus Zbyszko in 1910.



"Bharat-Kesari": Best heavyweight wrestler in Hindi. Recent winners include Krishan Kumar (1986), Rajeev Tomar (Railways), Pehlwan Shamsher Singh (Punjab Police) and Palwinder Singh Cheema (Punjab police).



"Hind

Kesari":

Winner

of

1969

Hind

Kesari Harishchandra

Birajdar (Maharashtra)[8] (Lion of India);[6] Winner of 2013 Hind Kesari, Amol Barate (Maharashtra);[9] Winner of 2015 Hind Kesari, Sunil Salunkhe (Maharashtra) [10]

References: 

Alter, Joseph S. (May 1992a). "The "sannyasi" and the Indian Wrestler: The Anatomy

of

a

Relationship". American

Ethnologist. 19 (2):

317–

336. doi:10.1525/ae.1992.19.2.02a00070. ISSN 0094-0496. 

^ Jump up to:a b c d e f Alter, Joseph S. (1992b). The Wrestler's Body: Identity and Ideology in North India. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-52007697-4.



Jump up^ Alter, Joseph S. (May 1992). "the sannyasi and the Indian wrestler: the

anatomy

of

a

relationship". American

Ethnologist. 19 (2):

317–

336. doi:10.1525/ae.1992.19.2.02a00070. ISSN 0094-0496. 

Jump up^ Donn F. Draeger and Robert W. Smith (1969). Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts. Kodansha International Limited.



Jump up^ "Jabbar-er Boli Khela and Baishakhi Mela in Chittagong". archive.thedailystar.net. April 28, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2013.



^ Jump up to:a b "Olympian wrestler 'Lion of India' Harishchandra Birajdar es away". dna. 14 September 2011.



Jump up^ "Narsing is 'Maharashtra Kesari' for record third time | Sakal Times". Sakaaltimes.com. Retrieved 2016-01-10.



Jump

up^ "Wrestler

Harishchandra

Birajdar

dies

at

73

-

Indian

Express". Archive.indianexpress.com. 2011-09-15. Retrieved 2016-01-10. 

Jump up^ "Pune boy Barate is Hind Kesari | Sakal Times". Sakaaltimes.com. Retrieved 2016-01-10.



Jump

up^ कक ररडड

(2015-02-02). "ससननल

Retrieved 2016-01-10.

ससळळ सखख

'हहळद

कखसरन'". Loksatta.com.