Mallakhamb or Mallar Khambam in Tamil, a traditional Indian sport that is in the spotlight now, thanks to the World Mallakhamb Championship held in Mumbai last month. Ashok K., an engineering student is making a mark in this unique sport, where a gymnast performs aerobic and acrobatic stunts, and yoga poses on a fixed or hanging pole, or a rope.
Ashok, a resident of Ambattur is a third-year engineering student at Rajalakshmi Engineering College. The youngster began his Mallakhamb training when he was in Class VI, and after almost eight years of training, he has participated in six State-level tournaments representing Chennai, four national-level tournaments representing Tamil Nadu and a South zone tournament.
Last year, he came sixth in the national tournament under the Rope Mallakhamb category. He has bagged several prizes in the state-level competitions too.
“I have always been intrigued by this sport. Performing risky stunts on a pole is quite challenging and it requires both physical and mental strength. In one minute and 30 seconds, the gymnast must perform a sequence of stunts that are unique with different combinations of yoga poses, acrobatics and exercises. Of the three categories — rope, hanging rope and fixed pole, the fixed pole is more challenging and fun!”says Ashok.
Ashok waits for the next Nationals and World Championship, and in the meantime, he wants to popularise the traditional sport. Following in the footsteps of his teacher, Prakash, who offers free coaching through Thamizhan Mallakhamb Sports Academy, Ashok too trains students for free. “Travelling with my teacher for the past eight years inspired me to keep this sport and its tradition alive. I took up an exam and now I am a certified mallakhamb coach. After college hours, I visit the RPF Parade Ground in Villivakkam where I train students from 5 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. from Mondays to Saturdays, and for a little while on Sunday mornings. We find a great deal of support from parents who make contributions towards buying mats and other gears we need,” he adds.
Ashok trains about 70 students from different age groups. “Mallakhamb is a sport that is hardly talked about and not many know that it originated in India. My aim is to raise awareness about the sport,” he says.
