Prayagraj: Dangal wrestlers duel with uncertainty ahead of Nag Panchami

Kapil Dixit | TNN | Jul 11, 2020, 20:43 IST

During Unlock 2.0, some wrestlers had returned to their akharas with hope of participating in the competitions organised on Nag Panchami.

During Unlock 2.0, some wrestlers had returned to their akharas with hope of participating in the competitions...Read More

PRAYAGRAJ: The Prayagraj administration’s silence on whether ‘dangal’ matches would be organised on Nag Panchami has failed to dampen the spirit of wrestlers in the city who are busy practising at home amid a pandemic.
Dangal matches are organised during the Hindu month of Shrawan and especially on Nag Panchami across the state.
President of District Wrestling Association Mukesh Kumar, who also runs the Railway Akhara in Jhunsi, said, “Both men and women wrestlers are practising at their homes. These include wrestlers from districts like Gorakhpur, Jaunpur, Pratapgarh and Bhadohi. We have no idea whether the wrestling competitions would be organised in Phaphamau, Chitrakoot and Kaushambi this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
During Unlock 2.0, some wrestlers had returned to their akharas with hope of participating in the competitions organised on Nag Panchami, he said.
Mukesh said that the craze for traditional wrestling has increased in the past three years ever since Indian wrestlers started winning medals at national and international events.
“Given the Covid-19 outbreak and the lockdown restrictions, it is unlikely that any wrestling competitions are organised this year.”
In Prayagraj, there are over two dozen wrestlers preparing for the dangal matches. Wrestlers Arti Singh and Mansi said that they currently practising for the matches at home.
There are others who are staying in rented homes to learn the art. Most of them said that they weren’t too hopeful about the competitions, but are cautious about their diet and exercise.
Rahul, a wrestler, said “We are looking forward to traditional wrestling competitions. If the dangal matches are not organised on Nag Panchmi, I would participate in it whenever it is organised.”
Ajay Tripathi, a retired wrestler, said, “Traditional wrestling has its own charm. It is not easy fighting in loose mud and sand, but a wrestler finds it worth it when crowds of spectators turn up to cheer them during a dangal.”