Kolhapur wrestlers pinned down by Covid restrictions

KOLHAPUR: The lockdown-like situation due to the second wave of Covid-19 has led to the closure of ‘talims’ and village fairs in western Maharashtra, leaving wrestlers struggling to maintain their fitness or make ends meet, let alone have proper ‘khuraq’ or diet .
Talims are places where the grapplers practise and exercise while village fairs are a source of income in the form of cash prizes for winners and also runners-up.
“There are 25 talims in Kolhapur district and five to six in Kolhapur city alone. Each talim has 100 to 150 wrestlers. These talims were shut in April, once again forcing the wrestlers to return to their hometowns, resulting in lack of physical fitness,” said Prakash Khot, secretary of Talim Sangh in Kolhapur.
“Just think how much these wrestlers are suffering in terms of skills and physical fitness. The fitness and trial rounds for the ‘Maharashtra Kesari’ tournament have already been conducted, but the selected wrestlers will have to start from scratch when the talims reopen in June, hopefully,” he said.
‘Hind Kesari’ wrestler Vinod Chougule of Motibaug Talim in the city said the wrestlers have gone back home and are unable to maintain fitness. “One wrestler needs around Rs 15,000 per month for khuraq, which has become unaffordable.”
Sachin Jamdar, a wrestler from Shahu Vijayi Gangawesh Talim in Kolhapur, said village-level ‘Jatra Kusti’ or ‘Dangal Kusti’ organised durng annual fairs or festivals carry cash prizes.
“However, no such wrestling tournaments are being organised in Maharashtra for one-and-a-half years. If the trend continues, people will stop looking at wrestling as a career option,” he said.
Aniket Badhe from Bhor taluka in Pune district said he was in Kolhapur for three months before the Covid restrictions this year for wrestling practice, but his dream was left unfulfilled as the akhada was shut.
“Soon after the talim was shut due to the lockdown, I returned to my village where I am trying my best to maintain my physique by working in the farm. Government should allow us to at least practise in batches,” he added.