Wrestling may not be the most popular or the most talked about discipline of sports today, however, the recent news that a wrestling team from the state has bagged 16 medals (7 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze) at a national tournament is something that we can all feel proud of.
The team of thirteen young Naga wrestlers, under the aegis of Nagaland Wrestling Association, had participated in the 5th NTWFI Traditional Wrestling & Pankration National Championship 2015-16 held at Pune, Maharashtra from July 22-24, along with about 800 other wrestlers from 19 states across the country. The team participated in two events of the tournament, namely Belt and MAS wrestling, and won 16 medals, bringing laurels to the state and more so to the wrestling scene of Nagaland.
While many may scoff or relegate wrestling as a dying discipline, that the sport still attracts the largest crowds in comparison with other events particularly during the Nagaland Wrestling Association’s tournaments (NWA Championships) which are usually held in the state capital Kohima biennially, is in itself a testimony to the respect and enthusiasm that wrestling quietly commands.
While there are various forms of wrestling in general, in Nagaland, the most popular form is the unique indigenous Naga wrestling. Sadly, despite what the nomenclature implies, Naga wrestling was and still is largely confined to only a section of the Naga people. It is practiced particularly by three Tenyimi tribes- Chakhesangs, Angamis and Zeliangs.
This traditional form of wrestling is unique in the sense that it is not just a game of physical prowess but was used to settle disputes and differences between individuals, clans and villages and also to generate friendship and brotherhood amongst the people. Another exceptional feature of Naga wrestling is that there are no weight categories and a wrestler can face an opponent of any weight on lottery. While the free-style or Greco-Roman wrestling is also widely played in the state now and is included in different tournaments, it continues to be overshadowed by Naga wrestling as the latter is considered as the fairest and finest way to prove one’s worth in the ring. Also, a wrestler participating in the NWA Championship is accorded more respect by peers and the people as they have to wrestle their way up from their respective khels to village to the area and district levels, to ultimately qualify for the main championship.
It is heartening to learn from wrestling enthusiasts that the traditional wrestling is gradually gaining ground in terms of popularity with other Naga communities as well as with professional wrestlers from outside the state. All but one wrestler from the team is from the Sports Authority of India(SAI), the rest are NWA Championship wrestlers. If the pace of the recent success of the Nagaland wrestling team is, continued and heightened, wrestling is here to stay. The NWA must now give efforts to spread its wings to inspire the rest of the Nagas to foray into this respected sports discipline.
Also, it must be noted that this is not the first time that wrestlers from Nagaland have played in the national level competitions, bringing national accolades. Nagas in wrestling have been in the national scene as early as the 1970s, they say.
