Cradle of Indian wrestling

Way back in early 2000s, two young and highly motivated freestyle wrestlers -- Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt of Delhi’s Chhatrasal Stadium -- strained every sinew to achieve success at the global level. The dream came true when Sushil broke the glass ceiling to win bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The foundation for Sushil's maiden Olympic medal was laid at the Chhatrasal Akhada by former wrestler and multiple international medallist Satpal Singh, whose daughter is married to Sushil. Satpal had the company of late Yashvir Singh, Ramphal Maan and Virender Kumar to run the akhada. 

Satpal, an Asian Games gold medallist in 1982, couldn't win any in the two Olympics he competed in. What he couldn't achieve as a competitor, though, he wanted to accomplish by producing Olympic medallists. Satpal knew one crucial way of developing world class wrestlers was to put in place modern infrastructure, including as basic as the wrestling mat which he had seen only when he went to the Olympics. Today there are six such medallists from the Delhi-based akhada! 

Just like the training methods here, the stadium is also a perfect blend of tradition and modernity. There is mud akhara as you pass through the main entrance with the basement housing a state-of-the-art gym and a rehabilitation center. When you enter the gym, you can see the walls adorned with pictures of champions from the academy, including that of Sushil and Dutt.

If results on the mat have been steady, the facilities at the Chhatrasal Stadium have grown.

“A new hostel for wrestlers is coming up at the north eastern side of the stadium,” Lalit Kumar, Dronacharya Awardee in wrestling and head coach at the stadium said. “There is a community kitchen and adequate facilities for practice.”

Sushil's historic medal in the discipline at the Beijing Games inadvertently laid a solid foundation for freestyle grappling at the Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi North, famously known these days as the cradle of wrestling in India.

Chhatrasal’s latest prodigy, the 21 years old Aman Sehrawat, won bronze in men’s 57kg freestyle event at the just concluded 2024 Paris Olympic Games, taking Chhatrasal's Olympic medal count to six in five editions since Beijing 2008.

What’s the success story behind churning out half a dozen Olympic medallists in wrestling from a center that started in the early 1980s?

According to Dutt, a 2012 Olympic bronze medallist, Sushil's exploits in China in 2008  turned out to be a watershed moment for wrestling in India. 

“When an Olympic or world medallist is staying in the same campus and you see star wrestlers day in and out, it is bound to motivate you,” Dutt offered. “When you observe champion wrestlers toil hard on the mat next to you, it gives a sense of self belief. If he can do it, I too can do it.”

Sushil's iconic standing in wrestling may have taken a big beating after his alleged involvement in a fellow wrestler's murder, but his feats in the sport remain  unparalleled.

Dutt is right! Indian wrestling contingent at the 2012 London Olympic Games won two medals - a silver through Sushil and a bronze through himself. Sushil is the only Indian wrestler to have won back-to-back medals at the Olympics.

While Sushil and Dutt were toiling hard, promising wrestlers like Ravi Dahiya, Bajrang Punia and Deepak Punia were among the new crop of wrestlers who were inspired and mentored by the two heavyweights.

“Performance of elite wrestlers at the global level greatly contributed in shaping the careers of several young wrestlers who were regular at Chhatrasal’s training center,” Dutt noted.

By the time Sushil and Dutt retired post the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, they had instilled a sense of self-belief among the young generation of wrestlers at the Chhatrasal Stadium.

Sushil's second innings on the mat in 2018 was a bit controversial. Three years later his name surfaced in a murder of a young wrestler within the campus of the Chhatrasal Stadium. Sushil, who was then an OSD at Chhatrasal, was arrested and sent to jail. The case is pending in the court.

The atmosphere at Chhatrasal after Sushil's incident was a bit tense.

However, medal-winning performances by Dahiya (silver) and Bajrang (bronze) at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games restored the image of the centre and the faith in the wrestling community.

Dahiya and Bajrang, with their roots at the Chhatrasal, further cemented the centre's legacy.

“I’m extremely happy that Sehrawat continued the legacy of the stadium by winning a medal (bronze) at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games,” Dahiya said.

According to Dahiya who is an assistant director with the Delhi government and posted at the stadium (Chhatrasal), a disciplined lifestyle has been one of the key factors in the production of outstanding wrestlers from Chhatrasal. 

“When I joined the wrestling center I didn't venture out of the campus for three years,” he said. “I went outside the stadium only with my parents when they came to meet me.”

Dahiya made his debut at Delhi's iconic wrestling center in 2007. The coaches were strict and if any wrestler was late to attend practice sessions, it was a bit of an embarrassment as he was punished. 

“To avoid punishment, we had to be bang on time for practice."

Wrestling coaches (Late Yashvir Singh, Ramphal Maan and Virender Kumar) were instrumental in mentoring wrestlers like Sushil and Dutt. Maan has retired while Virender has shifted out of the stadium.

Lalit, a Dronacharya awardee in wrestling, is the current head coach.

“Good facilities and sparring partners in all weight categories are the other key features that have enabled the polishing of the elite wrestlers,” Dahiya explained.

Sehrawat came to Chhatrasal in 2014. 

“Initially it was boring and I felt homesick,” he said of his first few weeks of grappling at the stadium. “Later I started playing with other wrestlers of my age and started to enjoy the routine of the training center.”

Sehrawat often got lessons from Sushil on defense and counter-attack. “It was a big thing for me to learn new techniques from Sushil pehlwan. Whatever techniques I was told to do, I followed it religiously.”

There are more than 100 wrestlers in different age groups and different parts of the country training at the stadium now. Among them could be the next Sushils or Dahiyas or Punias. May the legacy of Chhatrasal continue!

(Author is a Delhi-based senior sports journalist)