Jassa Patti wins title but Tarn Taran has produced many great wrestlers

Tarn Taran district which had the honour to host the first ‘Rustam-e-Hind Dara Singh Chhinjh (wrestling) Olympics’ was deserving of it. The ‘Chhinjh’ was held in the playground at Chohla Sahib recently in which wrestling competition for men and women was organised. As many as 63 men and 23 women wrestlers took part in the competition. Tarn Taran has given birth to a number of top wrestlers who brought laurels to the country. The wrestling competition in memory of Dara Singh too is the product of Tarn Taran. His native village Dharmuchack was in Tarn Taran area though it has gone to Amritsar district now. But it was earlier part of Tarn Taran before its formation as a revenue district about three decades back. Dara Singh got the honour as some of his wrestling competitions were witnessed by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. In the ‘Chhinjh’, old glorious wrestlers were also remembered. There was Dara Singh of Dulchipur, who was an established wrestler of the district. The other old wrestlers who were the products of Tarn Taran are Arjun Singh Dhoti, Pooran Singh Sheron, Teja Singh Cheema, Banta Singh Valtoha, Santokh Singh Bahadur Nagar, Joginder Singh Tiger, Harnam Singh Warana and Wassan Singh Sheron, among others. The top ranked wrestlers who added glory to the sport are Pehalwan Kartar Singh Sursing, Fateh Singh Sheron, Kehar Singh, Salwinder Singh Shinda Chuslewaria, Shamer Singh Sheron etc. Jaskanwar Singh alias Jassa Patti who got the title of ‘Rustam-e-Punjab’ in the competition also belongs to Tarn Taran. He is the son of Pehalwan Salwinder Singh Shinda Chuslewaria, Asian champion, who trained Jassa in wrestling from an early age. At present, the other active wrestlers in the district like Jassa Patti are Harpreet Singh Billa, Dharminder Singh Pahuwind, Ranjit Singh Cheema, Sukharaj Singh Happy Sheron and others who are working hard to move ahead. The district is equally active in producing top ranked wrestlers at the national level as there are a number of nurseries (akharas). These nurseries where hundreds of new wrestlers receive training are in Tarn Taran town, Khadoor Sahib, Malhia, Sheron, Dhotian, Valtoha, Pakhoke and at other places to carry on the old glory in the sport. Wrestlers from other parts of Punjab and even from other states reside here to receive training in the akharas. Certain schools too are producing new wrestlers. Navjot Kaur of Bagrian village district received training from Tarn Taran. She is an icon for the womenfolk. She was the first woman wrestler of the country to win a gold medal in wrestling in the Asian Championship at Kyrgyzstan in 2018. The residents of Tarn Taran are happy to be a part of this competition. There is huge scope for wrestling in Tarn Taran as the land has been blessed by the second Sikh Master Sri Guru Angad Dev who started an akhara (wrestling ground) in Khadoor Sahib which is presently being run in all its glory. 

Sports lab comes in for praise

District Education Officer (Elementary) Kanwaljit Singh Dhanju, who holds the additional charge for secondary education, showered praise on the efforts being made to establish a sports lab. The efforts are being made by sports teachers of Shaheed Chanchal Singh Government Senior Secondary School, Lauhuka, which is providing a directory to deliver sufficient information on noted sports personalities. In the sports lab, there is sufficient information regarding the life history of top sports persons, awards given to the players at the state and national level, measurement of grounds, professions in the fields of sports etc. Dimple Aggarwal, principal of the school, said that the lab was the result of hard work put in by Rupinderjit Kaur (lecturer of physical education in school) and Pardeep Singh, DPE, who were adding more information. The principal said that the students of nearby schools often come to the sports lab which motivates them to take part in sports as well. District Sports Coordinator Jugraj Singh appealed to the physical education teachers of the district to establish such labs in their schools and also advised the students to visit the lab to derive inspiration for taking up sports. Gurbaxpuri