Dangal held with care, just for tradition
VARANASI: Known for maintaining its tradition, the ancient city of Kashi every year organises Dangals — wrestling competitions — to mark the occasion of Nag Panchami. Various people, including wrestlers and spectators from far and wide, visit the city to celebrate the festival.
While following the government-issued health guidelines regarding the Covid pandemic, wrestling was organised this year too although on a smaller scale.
On Saturday, a ‘Dangal’ was organised only at the International Akhada Bada Ganesh in Lohatia — a traditional arena of the city.
The event commenced with the worship of Lord Ganesha and wrestlers, wearing masks, lifted and spun the maces. Other arenas of Varanasi celebrated the occasion by worshipping the mace.
Meanwhile, the wrestlers gathered at the arena in Paramanandpur and other akhadas offered prayers to the mace and the arena. They didn’t wrestle.
“Keeping in mind the spread of the Covid pandemic, the competition was organised only to ensure that the tradition of wrestling on Nag Panchami remains,” said UP Keshari and National champion
Krishna Kumar.
“Due to Covid-19 outbreak, only two pairs of wrestlers entered the arena and wrestled so that the tradition continues. The wrestlers were wearing the masks and other preventive measures to avoid covid-19 infections were also followed,” Krishna Kumar said.
International wrestler Naresh was the referee of the event. “Wrestlers from different areas used to gather in Kashi in yesteryears and ‘Dangal’ was organised at several traditional arenas of the city,” added Kumar.
Speaking about the tradition, wrestling and traditional ‘akhadas’, International wrestler and Bhojpuri film actor Santosh
Pahalwan said, “There were around 100 big and small arenas in the city till two decades ago. With time, more than 50 ‘akhadas’ were closed down for several reasons.”
Adding a new tradition, the Goswami Tulsidas Akhada, for the first time in 2017, opened its door for the woman wrestlers. Since the day, women wrestlers participated in wrestling competitions at the traditional ‘akhadas’ on the occasion of Nag Panchami.
In last one decade, Kashi prepared as many as 50 woman wrestlers. The 50 wrestlers include two International, six national and above 40 state-level women wrestlers.