The 60-odd young wrestlers at the stadium have come here in different circumstances — some were scouted from national meets, while others such as Sushil were sent by their parents. Once they enter the tutelage of the guru, it’s a whole new world.

A wake-up call at 3:45 am, and some freshening up later, the boys are down to business. A quick jog around the athletics track at the stadium, and a game of football or handball begins the day’s agenda. “We divide the boys in groups: One group plays football, the other do some rope climbing, while the rest are sent to the wrestling mat. These groups keep rotating, and apart from that, we have special exercises for them. Satpal oversees all the training sessions,” says Yashvir, who has been here for the last 16 years.

They take an hour’s break around 8 am, and head for freshly squeezed juice or milk, whatever they may prefer, before returning to the akhada. A few hours later, it’s meal time, and of course, a wrestler’s diet must not be lacking in any ingredient. “There is a kitchen here, but either Satpal or one of us coaches supervises the cooking, to make sure everything is in order. The dal has to have enough tadka, there has to be sufficient ghee,” he adds.

Post breakfast, a couple of hours are given in as study time for those still pursuing education. The evening session of training begins at 5, and this one is completely devoted to technique. The sport, explains Virender, has seen plenty of transformation. There is a mud pit right next to the wrestling mat, obsolete in international competition, but that is where the dream was formed for those who follow the akhada’s strict regimen.

... contd.