Mallakhamb takes aerial route, Gujaratis set to train the Dutch

VADODARA: Mallakhamb, India's ancient sport involving yoga postures on a wooden pole, is generating tremendous excitement in European countries.

A Gujarati recently took mallakhamb to the global level by organising a show as well as a camp in the Netherlands. It was for the first time that the Dutch got a glimpse of mallakhamb, and they will soon be taking lessons in the sport.

Bhavik Mukati and his students performed mallakhamb on the streets of the Netherlands and evoked a huge response from locals and NRIs.

It’s for the first time that mallakhamb players from Gujarat have visited a European country to promote the sport. My students performed a range of mallakhamb exercises that awed people in the Netherlands,” Bhavik Mukati, a mallakhamb coach from Vadodara, told TOI.

“Our aim was to promote mallakhamb in Europe and draw the Dutch as well as NRIs’ children to this sport that has great health benefits. Many locals approached us to know more about mallakhamb. The International Mallakhamb Federation opened a centre in the Netherlands five days ago,” Mukati, a mallakhamb champion, said.

Mukati’s four students – Rudra Rajput, Diya Joshi, Netra Parikh, and Srushti Jadav – performed exercises and aerial yoga poses on the mallakhamb – on the streets of Amstelveen and Eindhoven. They were hosted by Marathi Mandals and Ramanbaug Yuva Mancha during the Ganesha festival.

“Our exhibition of India’s ancient sport and exercise evoked a lot of interest, and the centre run by Sushrut Deshpande is getting enquiries from the Dutch. We also explained to the locals how this sport enhances concentration and reduces stress,” Mukati added.

The International Mallakhamb Federation invited Jay Kuber Mallakhamb Sports Academy, run by Mukati, to promote the sport in The Netherlands and Germany.








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