INSIDE a dilapidated building named Shankar Akhara, young pehelwans (wrestlers)-boys and girls-are sweating it out on blue wrestling mats. The ceiling fans fail to provide them with any relief from the June humidity, but that is not a deterrent for the young wrestlers. Kushti (wrestling) is not a sport in Mokhra village in Rohtak district of Haryana; it's a passion and an emotion.
Most doors in the village open to a bunch of medals hanging from cracked and rustic mud walls. Beaming with pride are the trophies that are lined up on wooden shelves. The village has been producing several wrestlers of national and international repute for years. The most prominent poster girl for the young wrestlers is Olympian Sakshi Malik. Mokhra is her native village. As a child, when she was about 3-4 years old, Malik would come to the Shankar Akhara along with other children. That probably was her first association with wrestling.
Years later, after she won the Bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, when Malik arrived in Mokhra, the village was elated. But these days, there is disappointment. The wrestlers and coaches are upset with the way Malik and other wrestlers, who have been protesting against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for months, are being treated. But they go about their practice hoping the protesting wrestlers will get justice.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Trump's White House 'Waapsi'
Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election may very well mean an end to democracy in the near future
IMT Ghaziabad hosted its Annual Convocation Ceremony for the Class of 2024
Shri Suresh Narayanan, Chairman Managing Director of Nestlé India Limited, congratulated and motivated graduates at IMT Ghaziabad's Convocation 2024
Identity and 'Infiltrators'
The Jharkhand Assembly election has emerged as a high-stakes political contest, with the battle for power intensifying between key players in the state.
Beyond Deadlines
Bibek Debroy could engage with even those who were not aligned with his politics or economics
Portraying Absence
Exhibits at a group art show in Kolkata examine existence in the absence
Of Rivers, Jungles and Mountains
In Adivasi poetry, everything breathes, everything is alive and nothing is inferior to humans
Hemant Versus Himanta
Himanta Biswa Sarma brings his hate bandwagon to Jharkhand to rattle Hemant Soren’s tribal identity politics
A Smouldering Wasteland
As Jharkhand goes to the polls, people living in and around Jharia coalfield have just one request for the administration—a life free from smoke, fear and danger for their children
Search for a Narrative
By demanding a separate Sarna Code for the tribals, Hemant Soren has offered the larger issue of tribal identity before the voters
The Historic Bonhomie
While the BJP Is trying to invoke the trope of Bangladeshi infiltrators”, the ground reality paints a different picture pertaining to the historical significance of Muslim-Adivasi camaraderie
