Kajal Dhochak wins silver at World Wrestling Championships

Wrestler Kajal Dhochak won a silver medal at the World Wrestling Championships and received a welcome in Sonipat, Haryana.

She became the first Indian woman wrestler to win a medal in the championship’s heavyweight category.

Dhochak’s uncle, Krishna Pehlwan, supported her wrestling career after giving up his own wrestling ambitions. She has said that her success was made possible by her family and her uncle’s support.

Notable Points

• Historical development of pehlwani: Pehlwani developed in the Mughal Empire from Persian kushti pahlavani and the Indian wrestling form malla-yuddha. Iranian and Mongolian influences were incorporated into malla-yuddha.
• Traditional training and kushti arena: Pehlwani trainees traditionally apprentice under a local guru at an akhara; physical training is called virayam. In Punjab and Haryana, the circular, soft-ground kushti court is called an akharha.
• Pehlwani terms and moves: In pehlwani, paintra is the wrestler’s stance or footing, while dav-pech refers to moves and counter-moves. The dhobi paat is a shoulder throw, and the kasauta is a strangle pin.