http://www.lightstalkers.org/galleries/contact_sheet/19943 A peek into the lived and regimen of the mud wrestlers of Mysore. Wrestling, is one of India's oldest, indigenous form of sport. Long ago in Mysore, when the trendy gyms never existed, the royal kings were the key patrons of this form of sport. Wrestling or kusthi was thoroughly enjoyed by the people and the pahelwans were even recruited in the army. Mysore was once a city that housed over 100 garadis, but there are only about 40 remaining now in which a handful are actively involved in wrestling, Most of these crumble down to give way to modern gyms. Garadis or akhadas all boast of mud pits, healthy old trees and a deep well. Most of them have bright paintings on the walls with depictions of Lord Hanuman, Garuda and other dramatic scenes portraying physical power from Hindu Mythology, turning the garadi into a tribute to the God of Courage Himself, Anjaneya. The actual wrestling arena is just soft red mud, comfortable enough to use all your might and prove your bodily skills, because after all it’s not about strength alone, it’s an art, a tactic. The ritual begins with warm up exercises and a luxurious massage, with butter. Some even dab some red mud on themselves to help the body stay warm. They finally seek to be blessed by the Lord and their Guru. The kushti session begins and ends with worship. Now, the actual match begins. The fight for the glorious victory. Sounds of struggle fill the room while players start their trials to pin the other down. The older ex-fighters look on, trying to encourage and keep the sport alive. Marketed very less, the sport of Kushti remains a passion for localites alone, without a chance for people to know about the sport. If more people know about it, there could be more patrons, making it easier to get sponsors as the number of people involved will get bigger. Be it in schools or at health clubs, all the enthusiasts ask for is to be recognized and give more people a chance to taste this sport. This is my attempt in reviving the original sport of India, Kushti. http://www.lightstalkers.org en-us http://images.lightstalkers.org/avatars/13243/3_small.jpg http://www.lightstalkers.org/Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828845/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-2_small.jpg' /><br />The brightly painted walls of the wrestling school against the portrait of the patron.- Mysore, India<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828845'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828845 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:27:56 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828845 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828845/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-2_small.jpg' /><br />The brightly painted walls of the wrestling school against the portrait of the patron.- Mysore, India<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828845'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828857/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-1_small.jpg' /><br />Pahelwan Babanna gives us an insight about Boothayyan Garadi which is one of the oldest functioning wrestling schools in Mysore.<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828857'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828857 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:28:00 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828857 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828857/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-1_small.jpg' /><br />Pahelwan Babanna gives us an insight about Boothayyan Garadi which is one of the oldest functioning wrestling schools in Mysore.<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828857'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828863/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-3_small.jpg' /><br />Popular wrestler, Pahelwan Lokesh Jaisimha sits against the brightly painted walls of Boothayyan Garadi, Mysore<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828863'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828863 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:27:59 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828863 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828863/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-3_small.jpg' /><br />Popular wrestler, Pahelwan Lokesh Jaisimha sits against the brightly painted walls of Boothayyan Garadi, Mysore<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828863'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828866/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-4_small.jpg' /><br />A typical interior of a wrestling school in Mysore.<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828866'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828866 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:28:00 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828866 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828866/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-4_small.jpg' /><br />A typical interior of a wrestling school in Mysore.<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828866'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828887/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-5_small.jpg' /><br />Wrestlers begin their practice session by massaging butter on each other's back.<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828887'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828887 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:28:00 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828887 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828887/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-5_small.jpg' /><br />Wrestlers begin their practice session by massaging butter on each other's back.<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828887'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828890/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-6_small.jpg' /><br />Jaisimha prays to the mud pit before wrestling while a fellow wrestler helps Satish tie his loin cloth<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828890'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828890 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:28:07 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828890 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828890/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-6_small.jpg' /><br />Jaisimha prays to the mud pit before wrestling while a fellow wrestler helps Satish tie his loin cloth<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828890'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828893/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-7_small.jpg' /><br />Wrestlers warm up by performing squats and push ups before wrestling.<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828893'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828893 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:01:05 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828893 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828893/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-7_small.jpg' /><br />Wrestlers warm up by performing squats and push ups before wrestling.<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828893'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828896/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-8_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828896'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828896 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:02:39 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828896 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828896/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-8_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828896'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828899/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-9_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828899'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828899 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:03:28 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828899 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828899/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-9_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828899'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828902/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-10_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828902'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828902 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:28:09 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828902 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828902/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-10_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828902'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828908/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-11_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828908'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828908 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:05:46 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828908 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828908/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-11_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828908'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828911/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-14_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828911'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828911 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:06:29 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828911 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828911/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-14_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828911'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828914/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-16_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828914'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828914 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:28:13 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828914 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828914/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-16_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828914'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828920/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-17_small.jpg' /><br />Wrestlers warming up before wrestling on the pit<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828920'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828920 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:28:17 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828920 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828920/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-17_small.jpg' /><br />Wrestlers warming up before wrestling on the pit<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828920'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828926/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-20_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828926'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828926 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:28:25 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828926 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828926/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-20_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828926'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828959/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-26_small.jpg' /><br />Kids wrestling during the Annual Dasara Festival at Mysore<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828959'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828959 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:30:13 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828959 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828959/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-26_small.jpg' /><br />Kids wrestling during the Annual Dasara Festival at Mysore<br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828959'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828983/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-27_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828983'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828983 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:22:41 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828983 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828983/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-27_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828983'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828986/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-22_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828986'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828986 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:25:04 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828986 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828986/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-22_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828986'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828992/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-24_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828992'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828992 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:26:53 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828992 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/828992/Mud_Wrestlers_Mysore_India-24_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/828992'>view full-size image</a> Raghuram