Kushti In Akhara

As the sun sets in a burst of orange glow, about fifteen men between ages 10 to 30 tries out dhobi paat, kala Jung, bangdi and saldo daos of traditional kushti under the watchful eyes Haripal,63. 

 The presence of an akhada in Nathupur, which is a stone throw from Cyber City is starkly contrasting, almost surreal. Started by Haripal in 1985 at the very spot as it is today, it was a vast tract of agricultural land. "People of Delhi feared coming to Gurgaon at that time. 

 The city we see today was unimaginable then", remembers the guru. Since its inception, the akhada has trained numerous wrestlers in traditional kushti styles, among them Bhim Saini, Janwanti and Hanumanti, in increasing order of difficulty to master. Haripal's younger son Sashi is a coach now. "Kushti is in our blood, in our soil," he says. "Kushti on the mat was introduced in the '90s.

  Though we train wrestlers on the mat too, the soul of the sports is in the soil", he adds. The soil arena is 20x20 feet. The soil is kept moist by pouring 20 liters of mustard oil and Haldi, which also doubles up as a natural healer of bruises. 

 The training happens in two shifts in a day. "It is a difficult sport. Not just a good coach is required, it requires a nutritious diet to keep the wrestlers in shape. But above everything else the key is discipline. In the age of social media and smartphones that is my biggest challenge. To keep the boys focused.", concludes Haripal.