Wrestling Coach Kripa Shanka Patel Bishnoi is under lockdown just like any other person in India due to the outbreak of Coronavirus. But it has not stopped him from coaching young wrestlers of Master Changdiram Akhara, New Delhi. Following the latest trends of online classes, the Arjuna Award winner has also resorted to teaching wrestling via video calls.
Master Changdiram Akhara is one of the most renowned wrestling academies of India. Situated in the hustle-bustle of New Delhi, the academy has produced many Arjuna awardee and Bharat Kesaris. But due to the pandemic, all its operations were shut and the wrestlers were sent back home until things return to normalcy. But for kids who have trained day-in and day-out with just one thing in mind – to don the orange singlet for India — even a day without practice can prove detrimental. That is where Bishnoi’s online coaching initiative steps in.
In pictures shared with WrestlingTV, Bishnoi can be seen coaching his students remotely. He has set up a work station in the comfort of his home. The 42-year-old coach has connected his computer to his television set and has installed a digicam on it. This enables him to demonstrate the wrestling moves without stepping out of his home.
Bishnoi, who shot to fame for training Bollywood star Aamir Khan in movie ‘Dangal’, is also an international match referee. The United World Wrestling (UWW) in 2017 had announced his inclusion in its international panel for referees.
He also served as the coach for Indian female wrestlers at the senior national camp, contributing to the first Olympic bronze medal in women’s wrestling. Sakshi Malik won it at the 2016 Rio Summer Games.
The 2005 Commonwealth Wrestling Championships gold medallist took up coaching after hanging his boots. He is also the three-time South Asian Games champion. He is also the recipient of Vikram Award
