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For years wrestling in India has been a ‘male only’ sport, that too without much resistance. Though this past year has seen gender barriers being broken when it comes to women entering the ring. Whether it’s an akhada in Varanasi welcoming women to train for the first time after almost half a century or a coach in Uttar Pradesh gearing Indian female wrestlers for the Olympics. Seems like Bollywood film Dangal did manage inspiring a few souls in the country. In a another step forward for female wrestlers in India the prestigious Maharashtra Kesari Wrestling Championship, that had only seen male competitors since its inception in 1961, decided to rope in women to compete against each other in Pune.
According to this report by The Better India the organisers of the championship arranged for a promotional match between Ankita Gund and Harshada Jadhav, two women wrestlers from Maharashtra. This path-breaking event saw a large audience with a female majority. Shantaram Ingawle, one of the organisers spoke to Pune Mirror about his inspiration behind the idea to include women wrestlers. “Many women have earned accolades in wrestling at international level. Therefore, we decided to rope in two women wrestlers this time to participate in a promotional event.” In a country where the ideals of femininity steer far away from physical skill that is not domesticated, female wrestlers become invisible as compared to their male counterparts. That is why for Ankita, who emerged victorious from the match said that participating in the Kesari Championship was a way to prove that women “are no less than the men who participate in this competition each year.”
We hope these progressive initiatives in Indian wrestling give female wrestlers the opportunities and appreciation they deserve and inspire other sports in the country as well to become truly inclusive.
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