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Having confined itself to a man’s domain for very many years, looks like wrestling has been given a whole new twist by Sonika Kaliraman. Not only is she a promising wrestler of our country, but has also paved the way for many young girls who are now not shying away from trying wrestling.

Neelam, a 17-year-old student, says wrestling is her favourite sport and she wants girls to actively participate in sports which are “supposedly” meant only for men. “When boys can participate in all kinds of sports why can’t we? Just a month old in training, I was really apprehensive initially when I started it, but now things are much better. Especially, since I have a lot of support from my family, I feel much more confident. Many of my friends have joined wrestling too.”
“I see a lot of women coming out of that male dominance syndrome and taking up stuff which was for some time considered to be out of their domain like boxing, shooting and wrestling. In fact, wrestling as a profession has always been there for women too, but shows like WWF, our desi De Dana Dan Dan and wrestlers like Sonika Kaliraman have added to their popularity. There’s a demand for women wrestlers now. At Fitcomb, we stress on wrestling or ground fighting as part of the bigger game called Combat,” says Capt. Jaipreet Joshi, master instructor at Fitcomb.
Those who want to wrestle but still haven’t got the chance, now want better options and opportunities to get proper training. Says Ankita, a 19-year-old student, “Just because I’m petite my parents feel I’m not fit for wrestling. But I am looking forward to proper wrestling training and have contacted a few of my friends also. It’s time to think out-of-the-box, and try sports which are only confined to boys. When girls can play Rugby, what’s wrong with wrestling?”
Shumel, a Commonwealth Championship medallist in wrestling, says she is proud to be a wrestler and doesn’t feel it’s only a man’s domain. “I always wanted to wrestle. I never felt this game is only meant for boys. In fact, there’s no bias among boys and girls when we practice in the akharas. More and more girls are taking up wrestling as they enjoy the sport, and it also keeps you safe, it’s like a weapon in your hands.”
Akansha Goel, a final year student who has learnt kickboxing, feels that with much international recognition being given to wrestling now, and Indian girls doing well in the sport, the competition in wrestling has got tougher, which is attracting many girls.
“But there are only one or two states which encourage girls to participate in wrestling. I am planning to learn wrestling soon. It is very difficult for girls to go out alone these days. Kickboxing is a very tough sport, but then also we want to learn it, so that we can go out without any fear and make girls proud. It has also been proved by girls that they are no less than boys in any field,” she says with a smile.
Shruti Badyal
The Asian Age