At a practice session at Baba Gangnath Academy. (Praveen Khanna)
As one enters the backyard of Baba Gangnath temple in Munirka village, players aged between 8 and 25 years can be seen practising boxing, while others wait in a large hall for their coach to arrive. Operating out of the temple premises, Baba Gangnath Academy trains people in martial art forms such as Judo and Kurash — a Turkish form of wrestling.
Alongside pictures of the local deity, the hall sport a different set of portraits — of national swimming champion Khajan Singh Tokas, and of four girls who were selected for the Asian Games to be held in Jakarta in August. “Four of the six players selected to represent India in Kurash — introduced for the first time in the Asian Games this year — are from the academy,” said Samudra Tokas, a former judo player and a coach at the academy. The other two girls are from Kerala and Karnataka.
The four girls, Anisha Tokas (16), Megha Tokas (19), Pinky Balhara (19) and Jyoti Tokas (15), have been training at the academy for over five years. Dushyant Tokas, another former judo player, who along with Samudra trains the girls, said, “We started the academy 10 years ago, with five-six children. Gradually, people took an interest in the sport and enrolled their children at the academy.” “There has been a huge change in the mindset of residents — in a village where women still wear a ghoonghat (veil), parents are sending their daughters to learn Kurash,” Dushyant said.
On why she decided to take up the sport, Jyoti said, “Judo, martial arts, Kurash are not just games. They are important tools of self defence as well. Looking at the rise in crime in the city, I, too, want to start a coaching academy where I can impart free training to kids.”
Amisha, who has won medals in Jalandhar and Khelo India, said, “I came across girls practising Kurash while on a walk one evening. It piqued my interest, so I took up the sport… I also want to see the Tricolour being unfurled when I win medals, that’s my ultimate goal.” On representing the country at the Asian Games, Pinky Balhara said, “Though several players here have played at national level, it is an altogether different feeling to play at an international event.”
Munirka’s date with sports began with the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul when Khajan Singh won a silver medal at the event. He also participated in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Till 1990, the village also produced over 20 national-level swimmers. One of them was Sanjeev Tokas, who won a gold medal in the 1985 junior Asian Games.
“After 1990, the Delhi Development Authority started building flats in Munirka Vihar. This halted the flow of rain water, and the pond where we practised swimming gradually dried up. Since then, the village has not achieved much at the international level. But we hope it will regain its glory through youngsters winning medals in judo, Kurash and boxing,” Khajan Singh said.
The academy runs mostly on funds from residents and politicians. “Sometimes an MLA gives us a mat, or a councillor and villagers fund travel expenses of the children,” Samudra said.