Kialu Baba wrestling tourney concludes

Our Correspondent

Nurpur, June 7

The national level Kialu Baba wrestling competition has concluded at Gangath in Indora subdivision of Kangra district last night. Men and women wrestlers from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jammu, Gujarat and Delhi participated in the four-day long tournament.

The locals organise this competition every year to pay their obeisance to the local deity, Kialu Baba. This year, prizes worth record Rs 1.10 crore were distributed among the participants. The prizes included cash, an alto car, a tractor, 11 motorbikes and 118 brass utensils, locally known as Baltohi.

During the event, the wrestlers compete in two categories — Big and Small. In men’s Big category, Preet Pal from Phagwara, Punjab, emerged as the winner and Moly Kokate from Maharashtra secured the second position. In the Small category, Pradeep Kumar from Zirakpur, Punjab, and Mohinder Gayakward from Maharashtra clinched the first and second prize, respectively. In the women’s event, Kajal from Haryana won the first prize — an alto car — and Rani from Solan stood second.

Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar presided over the closing ceremony last evening. He `announced the opening of a stadium to be constructed in Gangath. The minister made public the state government’s contribution of Rs 25 lakh as the first instalment of the total cost of construction.

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