Chhatrasal Akhara: A factory that has churned out five Olympians. Bajrang Punia, Deepak Punia and Ravi Dahiya are all set to join Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt in the elite club of Indian wrestling.
“Yaha ki mitti mein kuch alag baat hai” a phrase which rightly describes the Mahabali Satpal’s wrestling stable.
The most buzzing wrestling hub, nestled in the Chhatrasal Stadium Complex in West Delhi is to wrestling what Sansarpur in Jallandhar district of Punjab has been hockey or the Azad Maidan in Mumbai has been cricket.
The state of the art wrestling coaching centre is the place where traditional values of wrestling meet the modern day training and grooming of athletes who succeed in grabbing the precious few opportunities to join the academy.
The basics for the beginners start on the mud pit, traditional akhara, before the trainees graduate to the next level for honing their skills on mats. To have one more mat won’t cost much for India’s most-decorated wrestling gurukul, but there is a purpose and methodology behind grooming wrestlers on two different surfaces.
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“Training in mud helps the youngsters attain strength and work on their standing attacks. But the movement on mud is tough which restricts the motion. When they are put on the mat – twice in a week – they add more agility and speed to the strength developed by training in the mud”, Virender Kumar, coach at Chhatrasal Stadium told WrestlingTV.
The training at the Akhara starts at 4:30 am. A customary warm-up follows the high-intensity training. After a one-hour fitness workout, the wrestlers are put on the mat. The training session can go from anywhere between five to six hours. The schedule, however, is a subject to changes as per the dates of the tournaments for different age-groups.
“We change the routine to ensure that the wrestlers do not develop the same set of muscles. Flexibility is the key in wrestling and that is why, weight-training is only for two days a week,” adds the coach.
Followed by the rigorous workout, wrestlers go back to their dormitory to rest and prepare themselves for the evening session. “We prepare a six-day schedule with Sunday off. The time-table is a combination of training, diet and recovery – the three most important aspects of an athlete’s life,” he revealed.
At the akhara, the management relies on traditional food and nutrition for the trainees. Any supplement or synthetic substitutes are a big no.
“Doodh (Milk), Desi-Ghee (butter oil) and Baadam (almonds) are the basic diet of the wrestlers here. Most of them come from a poor background and are not able to afford the basic diet. For them we have a tie-up with a local milkman who provides us with milk and butter,” Virender said.
“The youngsters also participate in weekly ‘dangals’. That fulfil their two prime needs – a practice in the real match situation and financial support by way of prize purse. Lucrative cash awards are no mean a motivation for the youngsters, who spend it primarily on their diet,” he added.
The boys at Chhatarsal Stadium have their in-house ideals. There is no dearth of inspiring tales about how Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar emerged as the legends of the sport after having battled hardships and challenges that only the champions could survive.
“Every kid here dreams of becoming the next Sushil or Yogeshwar. Some get a bit of cash by fighting in the dangals (wrestling competitions). Watching the seniors at workouts makes them realise that the only way to success in determination and practice. This makes them work harder to realise their Olympic dream.
If the place takes pride in three of its disciples gearing up for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the generation next of Indian wrestling has already started making headlines from this school. In the recently concluded Junior National Wrestling Championships 11 of Chhatrasal wrestlers bagged medals — five gold, three silver and three bronze.
The Chhatarshal nursery opens the horizons for young prodigies, but to get in there is no mean achievement. “We select wrestlers on the basis on trials. Only those who we think can have a future in wrestling are enrolled. Under Satpal’s guidance and we push the youngster to their best. But we also keep in mind that rest is important.”
“Chhatrasal has stood the test of time and is amongst the top akharas in India. Rest assured we have our eyes on a few of the youngster who we think will carry on the Sushil and Yogeshwar’s legacy,”Virender sighed off.
