The Pahalwans of Tulsi Ghat.

The traditional style of mud wrestling or Kushti is an ancient sport of India and also the oldest sport in the world. I always had a wish to visit a traditional Akhara and witness a match of Kushti between the Pahalwans. So in my last trip I was lucky enough to visit the famous Akhara of Tulsi ghat where I got an opportunity to see some Pahalwans in action and also got a chance to interact with a few of them. 

Just after a very peaceful and serene early morning boat ride I started walking towards tulsi ghat which was about 10 minutes walk from the place where the boatman has dropped me. The Akhara is just situated a few steps up from the right side of ghat. As I entered the Akhara premise the first person I met was Sia Ram Ji who is 62 years old and he is the Ustad (Coach) and also the caretaker of the Akhara.

Sia Ram Ji oiling himself

I had a few minutes of conversation with Sia Ram Ji while he was tying up his Langot and oiling himself before stepping inside the Akhara. He said unlike the modern gym here in the Akhara every senior is a trainer to the junior Pahalwans and also he shared the importance of oil massage which every Pahalwan does before stepping inside the ring. Amidst all these conversations I saw the young Pahalwans working out in traditional style with mostly wooden exercise equipments and the experienced ones warming up and getting ready for the match.

A young Pahalwan Working out

A Pahalwan with wooden exercise equipment

Potrait of a Pahalwan

The match of Kushti starts.

Match in progress

Some more moves.

The Pahalwan showing some serious move.

A Pahalwan applying soil on the body of another Pahalwan.

During the Kushti match the pahalwans often applied soil on eachother's body so that they can get a better grip on their body while playing the wrestling moves. And yes the soil inside the ring is not just soil, it is mixed with ground neem, oil, turmeric and curd which makes them very therapeutic for the skin. 

The last move of the match

Meet Bhanu a Young and very skilled wrestler.

While I was busy taking some nice shots and enjoying the kushti match, Bhanu who has just came out of ring asked me if I can show him the photos I have clicked. I just smiled and passed him the camera. Bhanu saw his own photographs and said he has put on a lot of weight as he had left wrestling for 3 years. Bhanu runs a small shop and has started wrestling at the age of 15 and left when he was 17. Now again he has started practicing it. I saw Bhanu in the ring and he was one of the most skilled and strong wrestler I saw there.

Potrait of Bhanu Pahalwan.

This is the 2nd part of story from my recent trip to Varanasi a lot more coming soon.

Varanasi - The Mystical City

The city of Varanasi is an amalgamation of history, tradition, culture, art and faith. I have been to this city a few times before and every time it manages to surprise me with its rich aroma of faith. The city has got a lot of things to do for everyone around. It has got a lot of temples and old forts for history lovers and yes the city has its own kind of lip smacking street food for every food lover and how can i forget to mention the famous Banarasi Paan and Thandai. 

But the main attractions of the place are the numerous ghats and temples around. Just walking around the ghats and spending some time sitting and observing things and people around is one of the most beautiful thing one can do here, you can start your walk from the famous ghats stretching from Assi ghat to Manikarnika ghat.Trust me a walk around the ghats is a treat for those seeking solitude.

A man in deep medetetion on the ghats.

The stretch of beautiful ghats on the bank of river ganges.
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The ghats are surrounded by a labyrinth of narrow alleys, try walking around those alleys to experience how life runs at a regular pace in such narrow space. While walking there in those alleys you might feel like you re getting lost but don't worry they are somewhere connected to the main place. And yes while walking around these narrow lanes you can get some really nice subjects and objects to click pictures a true treat for photographers..!

An old man sitting on the door in the alleys.

While walking around the ghats you can see some sadhus and babas sitting on the river banks you can click some interesting potraits of them but only with their permission try having a conversation with them, they have a lot of interesting and inspiring stories to share.

A sadhu reading holy Book.

Potrait of a baba doing his make-up.

Potrait of  a Baba Smoking up.

And yes when in Varanasi you just cannot miss the early mornng boat ride on the river ganges and witness the most beautiful sunrise if you re lucky enough your boatman will sing for you like my boatman Sonu did.

Sonu busy rowing his boat and singing some nice songs.

This is the frist part of my Travel story on VARANASI a lot more coming soon.. !!