Click to play videoMysore: Meet the Nada Kusti wrestlers from Mysore. They are not exercising to get six-pack abs like Shah Rukh Khan, they are doing this because its Dussehra, a time to show everyone what they are the best at - Nada Kusti, a traditional form of wrestling that's been around for centuries.
A wrestler Amruth says, "Wrestling has been part of the Dussehra celebration for a very long time. It's been there since the time of the kings and we used to fight even in front of them inthose days. Now everyone comes from all over the country to be part of the celebrations."
Nada Kustis are fought in Garadis, which are local wrestling mud rings, and it's in these Garadis that these wrestlers train themselves. One thing is very clear, this is not for the faint-hearted.
The pehalwans (wrestlers) here say that wrestling is tough.
These wrestlers are crowd pullers, however there is a hitch. The only time in the year that Nada Kusti bouts are organised is during Dussehra. The rest of the year,these kustis are just confined to private Garadis.
Secretary Dussehra Wrestling Committee, Prahlad Rao says, "It's tough to be a wrestler. There is no money in it and the public is not very interested in it. But with Sushil Kumar winning the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics I hope that everyone will take wrestling seriously and it will become popular again."
So this Dussehra if you are in Mysore, just don't confine yourself to sightseeing. Make a trip to a Garadi and enjoy the fight. It would definitely encourage these mighty men.
(With inputs from BV Venkatesh in Mysore)
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