At a dangal in the hills

Sunil Phogat

Advertisement

As one takes an uphill road from Panchkula to Kasauli, the idea of watching a dangal doesn’t flash. In late June, as one moves under the floating occasional cloud, the mind gets occupied by the scenic beauty of the dales and the woods. And then comes a sudden roar... of a crowd cheering somewhere. Move a few hundred metres ahead and you see shiny bodies of wrestlers engaged in a bout and every inch of the ground and even rooftops taken over by spectators of all hues and ages. Restless wrestlers, drummers going around the akhada to get that adrenaline pumping in the people... it isn’t a juvenile’s game, you realise.

Dangal in Solan was a revelation to us, but is an age-old practice, we are told. Dangals are held every year at several places such as Kasauli, Garkhal, Mashobara and Chhatiyan. These are part of the annual fairs held at these places. These fairs generally begin in summer months beginning mid-June or Aashad at which time the weather becomes pleasant due to rains. In the district, the reigning deity is Goddess Shoolini.  Locals believe that Shoolini was the younger sister of Durga. On the first day of the fair, the idol of the goddess is carried in a palanquin from the Shoolini temple at the outskirts of the town to the Durga temple situated in the main bazaar. A haat is organised here and people from nearby villages throng the markets for the cheap merchandise sold. The main attraction, however, is the dangal held late in the afternoons.

Wrestling combats are carefully planned by taking body weight, age and reputation of the pehalwan into consideration and nothing is indiscriminately done by the ustads of the akhada where the combat is taking place. The wrestlers selected for the duel pay reverence to their guru and touch the soil of the akhada pit before stepping in and then shake hands with each other. The bouts continue through the evening till around 8pm until the participants have accomplished various feats. The crowds keep up the momentum. Foreigners passing by feel drawn. They carefully tread the path to the site of the event, perch themselves on a convenient place to watch the combat while clicking a few photos.

In the wrestling bouts that take place at Kasauli, Mashobra and Garkhal, there are many local pehelwans. However, a large number also hail from Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Some of the participating wrestlers at the dangals are policemen, winners of titles and cash prizes. A large number of pehelwans belong to the farming community. A few of them also run small-time enterprises to earn livelihood.

The cash prize awarded to both the winner and the runner up is called mali — badi mali and chhoti mali. The badi mali (a sum of Rs 11,000) is for the winner and chhoti mali for the runners up. The prize money is tucked in the turban and presented to the participating pehelwans. Only a few wrestlers make it to quarter finals by going through several rounds of bouts. A few among the veterans are also invited as guest of honour. Among them are Madan Lal Tanwar, 64, and Jagdish Thakur, both of whom have earned name and fame in wrestling. Tanwar is former deputy general manager of Co-operative Bank in Solan. He took his training from Hari Pehelwan of Gaubara Akhada in Kaithal district of Haryana. Sanju, a participant wrestler, says it would be his 150th combat in a row this year. He now runs a gymnasium and imparts physical training to the enthusiasts. Dharm Saklani is one of the most fascinating and inspiring personalities at a dangal in this region. He takes every dangal here to the next level with his brilliant anchoring from the moment the crowd begins to gather till the time the winner has proved his worth.