Women wrestlers take Varanasi by storm
VARANASI: Bollywood hit Dangal found a real-life replay when a teenager defeated her younger brother in a close contest on the opening day of a wrestling championship at the popular Assi ghat in Varanasi on Tuesday.
This was the first time women competitors are allowed in this annual contest organised by the Akhada Goswami Tulsidas in the memory of Amarnath Mishra, the late chief priest of Sankatmochan temple.
“Time has changed. Woman wrestlers have won medals and made India proud. We want to encourage women and so we have invited them,” said Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, the shrine’s current head priest.
A total of 24 young women are participating in two categories: 48kg and 75kg. Dangal, the Bollywood biopic on the Phogat sisters who brought glory to India, played a conspicuous role when 16-year-old Khushi Yadav climbed onto the mat to face brother Karan, two years younger than her, in the 48kg category. They come from an illustrious wrestling family. Their father, Vinod Yadav, was a national-level player. Grandfather Kallu Pahalwan wrestled in his youth. Karan fought well but Khushi was better.
“My father had participated in national wrestling championships. I want to be an international wrestler. Winning gold for the country in the Olympics is my dream,” she said.
She thanked the temple priest for opening the doors of this traditional arena. The priest played “Laabhdayak Bapu”, or benefactor father, she said making a parody out of the Dangal hit song “Haanikarak Bapu”.