Wrestlers' protest in Delhi: Budding players back their 'heroes' at Jantar Mantar
Deepender Deswal
Balali/Sisay, May 5
Balali in Charkhi Dadri and Sisay in Hisar are famous as the nurseries for women wrestling in the country. Located 100 km apart in separate districts, the two Haryana villages are bound by a common sentiment as both have been standing firmly by the women wrestlers protesting at Jantar Mantar against the alleged sexual harassment by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Anil Vij extends support
As the Sports Minister of Haryana, I fully back the players. The matter is being taken up at the highest level. If required, I will talk to the higher-ups at the Centre… will do whatever it takes to resolve the issue amicably. Anil Vij, Sports Minister
The tone and tenor of the budding wrestlers at ‘akharas’ match the grit of their “heroes” engaged in a “do-or-die battle” at the protest site in New Delhi. Naresh Kumar, a coach at a Balali academy owned by Mahavir Phogat, among the pioneers of women wrestling in India, says though some parents initially expressed apprehensions about the safety of their daughters, none opted out of the game. “The parents of the budding wrestlers say Haryana’s daughters protesting at Jantar Mantar mustn’t give up till they get justice. People like Brij Bhushan are harming the sport,” he says.
Wrestling was a male-dominated sport until Mahavir Phogat broke the tradition and introduced his daughters Geeta and Babita, and then niece Vinesh. “Mahavir encouraged his daughters and they secured medals in international events. Now, there are several academies that have both girls and boys practising alongside… this (harassment episode) is a temporary phase. The wrestling tradition is bound to emerge stronger,” asserts Naresh.
More than 200 girls in the age group of 10 to 20 years have been practising in various ‘akharas’ in these villages. “Wrestling is a tough sport. We are here by choice and want to make a mark internationally,” says Kanchan, an All-India inter-university silver medallist from Sisay. She says the budding wrestlers consider players like Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat as their role models and the “treatment being meted out to them is bound discourage budding sportspersons”.
Sisay also has another aspect to boast of — it’s the native village of wrestling great late Master Chandgi Ram, who had won a gold in the 1970 Asian Games and represented India in the 1972 Summer Olympics. Though Mahavir Phogat is credited with supporting his daughters till they achieved international repute, it was Master Chandgi Ram who had initiated his daughter Sonika (now settled in Canada) in wrestling in early-1990s. “Besides Sonika, there used to be four-five other girls who took to wrestling then. They fought their first bout in an open ‘akhara’ near Lal Quila,” says Suraj Bhan, a disciple of Master Chandgi Ram and an eyewitness of the historic event.
Bhan says other coaches and wrestlers would initially taunt Chandgi Ram, but he remained undeterred by the criticism and continued to support women wrestling. “Women wrestling has gained acceptance in India after a lot of struggle…. The harassment controversy is a blot and matter of shame for all. Women wrestlers of such high repute have been forced to stage a sit-in,” says Basau Ram Kaliraman, a cousin of Master Chandgi Ram.
