Team Modi readying to revive `akhadas' in Kashi

VARANASI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s team has pulled socks to promote wrestling in his parliamentary constituency by reviving the condition of traditional akhadas (wrestling rings). The team will start work for the revival of akhadas from Kakrahia- a village that has produced Judokas and wrestlers of international and national repute in bulk- with the announcement of its formal adoption by Modi to develop under Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY).Previously the PM had adopted Jayapur and Nageypur villages.
A day after PM’s visit CR Patil, the Bhartiya Janata Party MP from Navsari in Gujarat who leads Modi’s team to look after development projects being introduced in Varanasi by NGOs, informed TOI on Tuesday, “Presently 50 set-up of wrestling ring shades are ready of which demand for five have already come from different parts of the district. We have plans to provide up to 150 sept-ups for the wrestling rings in Varanasi. But, this project of promoting wrestling in the district will start from Kakrahia village, which is going to be adopted by the PM under SAGY. We will upgrade the existing akhada and also provide an indoor setup for the Judokas at Kakrahia.”
Jayapur was the first village in the district that was adopted by Modi under SAGY in 2014 after which Nageypur village was adopted. Patil mentioned that Kakrahia is going to be adopted on the basis of talents produced by it in the field of wrestling and Judo. He said that formal announcement for the adoption of this village by Modi under SAGY would be made very soon.
The Kakrahia village had come to light for producing wrestlers and Judokas in 1993 courtesy the efforts of late Bhotu Singh. After the demise of Bhotu Singh the akhada was named after him. So far this akhada has produced international Judokas like Ramashrey, who also got Laxman award, Virendra Gupta, Ramashrey Junior and Subhash Yadav, informed the care taker of akhada Ravindra Singh mentioning wrestlers including Mahesh Yadav, Dharmendra Patel, Santosh Patel, Rahul Pandey and Mangla Prasad of this village have played national level games. Number of wrestlers who participated in national and state level games is above 40, he added.
Regarding the akhada setups being introduced by the team Modi for the promotion of wrestling in Varanasi, Patil said, “We are not going to change the mud floor of traditional akhadas. They will get shade mounted on eight rubber coated pillars to keep the wrestlers safe. If the akhada operators would show interest in replacing mud floors by mattress wrestling ring we will facilitate them in procuring it in future.”