The saying “A Wrestler is born,not made” immediately reminds us of the bollywood flick Sultan which is based on the rise and fall of the wrestler, Sultan Ahmed Khan. Although the movie draws the audience to the actors brilliant portrayal of the character, many of us stand deprived of the reality of these men who belong to the Heritage Communities of Kolkata that are nearly on the verge of Extinction.There are only a handful of them left in the city who are trying their best to keep the age old art of ‘Kushti’ (Mud Wrestling) alive. In one of the recent Photography Workshops organized by Future Media School, a select few Photographers (including myself) got the opportunity to interact and spend time with these wrestlers at their Akhara (Desi Gym) situated on Mullick Ghat.

While most of the city was fast asleep on a cold winter morning, these wrestlers/pehelwans had already started their warmup session. Barebodied, the only thing visible on them was a piece of cloth called ‘langot’. A common warmup session included freehand exercises such as situps, push-ups and rolling of the gada. An average session lasts for about 30 minutes before the wrestlers take on each other at the Akhara. 

The with state of the art tools the youngsters of this age decide to give the Traditional Gymnasiums a miss. The few who are practising at these akharas are financially backward. They can’t afford to pay for their daily diet of milk and almonds leave alone the hefty Membership Fees of the modern Gyms.

Swami Gyaan Yoganand Purimath is another such place that houses a Century old Traditional Gym /Akhara.Situated at 126, Cotton Street in the Burrabazar area, the narrow lane which leads upto it is near difficult to locate.

The Akhara is open seven days a week and operates in two time slots. Unlike the Akhara at Mullick Ghat this one has a lot of kids aged 7-13 years who come in regularly to get trained in the art of wrestling. 

They undergo rigorous warm up exercises under the supervision of their trainers or’Gurus’. Being weak or falling out is a punishable offense. Speaking to one senior member at the Akhara, I came to learn that pehelwani requires following of a strict diet regimen and leading a disciplined life. The practise of wrestling makes an individual develop his inner strength and power rather than external muscles. This helps him stay fit and active in the long run. 

Spending quality time with them was really an eye opener for me as I would now want to contribute in whichever ways possible towards Saving and Promoting this dying community.