Time to tone up

When Nada Habba Mysuru Dasara rings in, it’s time for wrestlers in and around Mysuru to get ready for the famous Dasara Wrestling Tournament. The nine-day-long traditional wrestling tournament, also called nada kusti, is a much-awaited event for wrestlers from across the State to show their prowess in the bouts. The event is held during Navarathri at the D Devaraja Urs Multipurpose Stadium and the Sahukar Channaiah Kusti Akhada in the city.

Royal patronage
The zeal is evident as wrestlers practise for the D-day at Chikka Garadi and Dodda Garadi at Ashokapuram in Mysuru. For them, this tournament is akin to ‘World Cup’. They feel that the event has helped retain the popularity of this desi sport, which once enjoyed royal patronage. Wadiyars, the erstwhile rulers of Mysore (now Mysuru), nurtured the art of traditional wrestling. As a result, the sport  reached its zenith during their regime. In fact, Kanteerava Narasaraja Wadiyar, popular as Ranadheera Kanteerava, who ruled between 1638 and 1659 AD, was himself a wrestler of repute.

Matti Puja or Amba Puja — worshipping the red soil spread on a quadrangle, a dedicated place for practice within the garadi mane (wrestling house), known as akhada — marks the beginning of preparations for the Dasara tournament. People who meet the expectations of trainers are chosen to represent their garadis in the tournament.

Weights like bale (ring), gadhe (mace), gundu (ball) and garagasada sara (worn around the neck) are other important tools found at garadi manes. The weights are made of wood (gobbali tree), iron and stone. While wrestlers tone up their physique in the morning session, afternoon and evening sessions are meant for sharpening wrestling skills. Matti, the red soil, is brought once a year on the Varamahalakshmi day and spread over the arena. Lord Anjaneya is the presiding deity of a garadi mane.

The wrestlers are taught three different forms of wrestling — vajra mushti, maar peet and jangi kusti. As the name goes, Vajra Mushti Kalaga is fought with a weapon, sharpened teeth made of ivory, worn by  wrestlers on their right knuckle (mushti). It is organised on the day of Vijayadashami, and is open only for the wrestlers of the jetty community. Jettys slug it out on the specially made akhada, within the precincts of Amba Vilas Palace, and is watched by the royal scion and members of erstwhile royal family along with other invitees. Much like today, wrestling was not a profession even in the past. Wrestlers either worked at the palace or engaged in farming. Pailwan Koppal Basavaiah, one of the celebrated wrestlers, worked as a lumberjack at the palace during the period of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. According to records, Basavaiah never lost a bout till his death in 1920.

Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts are the abodes of traditional wrestlers. Records say that the undivided Mysuru district had 244 garadi manes. A recent survey by the district administration shows that 72 wrestling schools are active in Mysuru, in the localities of K G Koppal, Nazarbad, Gandhinagar, Nanjumalige and N R Mohalla. Though most of them remain open throughout the year, only 40 garadi manes send contestants to tournaments organised during various fairs and festivals in the State, explains Yajaman Pailwan S Mahadev, president of Dasara Nada Kusti sub-committee for the year 2015 and general secretary of Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Garadi Sangha.

The festive season is a big time even for those who do not participate in the tournament. Manjunath, a resident of Ashokapuram, is a regular at Dodda Garadi. He joined a garadi at the age of 10 on the insistence of his brothers — Pailwan Mahadev, Pailwan Umesh and Pailwan Basavaraj. Though Manjunath has no qualms about not taking part in any bout, he has immense pleasure in acquiring the skills of keeping fit, the desi way. When it’s Dasara, he never misses to workout more.

These garadi enthusiasts influence youth who have a craze to stay fit. For instance, Shivaprasad, a 21-year-old youth, joined the Dodda Garadi a few months ago and travels 40 km every day to learn the art of wrestling. Most of the garadi goers belong to middle-class families and the farming community. In spite of its benefits, the garadi culture is slowly disappearing in rural areas due to many reasons. However, there is still a strong tribe of about 300 wrestlers in the region who have kept garadi manes alive. Wrestling tournaments are still conducted in a few pockets within and outside Mysuru.

Taking all these into cognisance, Kusti Abhivrudhi Samiti, formed by like-minded people, extended financial assistance to revive three garadi manes a few years ago, says Ravikumar of the Samiti and additional secretary of Dasara Nada Kusti sub-committee.

K Suresh, assistant director, Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, Mysuru says, “Considering the necessity of retaining garadi manes, the State Government has been releasing funds towards their renovation for the last three years. In Mysuru district alone, 15 garadi manes have been renovated at the unit cost of Rs 10 lakh. In the previous year, garadis at Nagarle and Hoskote were renovated, and funds have been sanctioned for the renovation works of garadis at Kumbarkoppal in the city and Sindhuvalli and Harohalli in rural Mysuru. A few more projects are underway.” Suresh explains, “Though garadi manes are gradually replaced by modern day fad gymnasium, there seems to be a renewed interest among youth about the traditional sport in recent years. Anga sadhana (exercise) at garadis helps one keep fit and healthy.”

Tracing a tradition
There is not much literature available to understand the garadi mane tradition in the State. Still, well-researched books like Karnatakada Jettigalu (by Hassan Rangajetty Somasundaram) and Kusti Rangada Diggajaru (by M Narasimha Murthy) intrigue readers. The book Karnatakada Jettigalu gives a brief description of a traditional garadi mane. It describes that the red-chequered paint used on the outer walls in the past gave garadi manes a distinct look. Matti, akhada (wrestling arena) and malla kambha (the vertical wooden pole, where wrestlers display stunts) are the fundamental features of these garadis. Wrestling tournament has become an integral part of the festival ever since Raja Wadiyar started Dasara, continuing the tradition of Vijayanagar rulers, in 1610 AD. The Wadiyars also supported garadi manes. Now, garadi manes sustain on local support, a group of elders and youths, who have taken up the mantle as guardians of a tradition.