An Englishman, Gardener, prepared Khashaba Jadhav for the 1948 London Olympics and in a week’s time the Indian finished sixth in the event. Gardener appreciated the 23-year-old’s competence alright, but what stood out was how Jadhav adapted himself to the mat used in Olympic competitions.

Ganpatrao Andhalkar and Maruti Mane were perhaps the last from the famous kushti-taalim belt of Maharashtra to make the Olympic grade in 1964, and the reason why Khashaba Jadhav’s legacy couldn’t yield any more medallists was the local wrestlers’ reluctance to fight on mat. That, and the third M of wrestling besides mud and mat — money.

“A very good wrestler from Satara or Kolhapur can earn around a crore in 2-3 years by fighting the open mud-bouts. There’s not much incentive financially, except the big competitions, to be good on the mat,” says Nitin Rajge, 22, of the Jilha Taalim Sangh in Satara. “Other state governments....” the grouse is spilled out, as other wrestlers concur on the lack of finacial incentive and encouragement, for mat-bouts. The taalims of Kolhapur and Satara brim with enthusiasts, but as Rajge says, “We just prefer our traditional style.” Grappling with the mat and shoes then becomes difficult.

While Jadhav passed on his tips to the immediate generation of wrestlers following him, India lost out on an opportunity to make the best of his expertise though he was a qualified NIS coach. One of the few pehelwans to relish a challenge both on mat and mud, Jadhav would have groaned at the total lack of ambition amongst future wrestlers from Maharashtra.

... contd.