When urban wrestles desi

Women wrestlers from rural pockets take on city counterparts at the Mann Deshi Festival

Mumbai: This was a clash of wills, one from the city, the other traditional. In a match that few in here get to watch, wrestler Uma Dattatreya Karche, 18, from Maan in Satara district took on Amruta Yadav, also 18, from Mumbai, at the Mann Deshi Festival on Friday.

As the wrestlers made eye contact at the Ravindra Natya Mandir, the meet’s venue, music from the Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal played in the background. In the first round, Uma attacked, keeping Amruta on the defensive. As the fight progressed, the cheers got louder. In rounds two and three, Uma had a clear lead, but Amruta unexpectedly latched on to her leg in the fourth. It appeared for a brief moment that Uma was losing her touch, till she laid all speculation to rest in the fifth round, pinning Amruta to the mat and winning 8-2.

“I don’t like losing,” Uma said after the match. “But this was fun. Unlike professional matches, there were no rules, and it was stress-free.” The objective of the fight was to pit players from Maan against those from the city to prove that rural wrestlers are as good. “I don’t learn at an academy; my brother teaches me

kushti (wrestling) at home and I practise on my own. I eat a regular diet, getting my proteins from chicken.”

Coach Mahalinga Khandekar (32) said, “Today’s competition was fun to watch. The winner received a medal and ₹1,000.” Parents in Maan are opening up to the idea of sports training for their children, he said, and the Mann Deshi Sports Academy in Mhaswad needs more coaches. He says at least eight girls and 120 boys learn at the academy under professional coaches. “Coaching in urban areas is backed by modern equipment, which our kids lack. If we get that, there’s nothing like it.”

Wrestling tradition

Prabhas Sinha, who started the Mann Deshi Sports Foundation 2010, said the academy trains 4,000 players, of whom 150 are national players. “Though they are active, children in rural areas are rarely given adequate sports training. Ironically, they gain many of their athletic abilities by herding sheep, or working at construction sites. Unfortunately, they remain unaware of their sports potential.”

He, too, would like to see more facilities for the players. “They should start earning soon, because an income brings dignity. Players with potential, like Uma, will be training at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala. I’m doing my best to make this happen.”