Photos: Centuries-old Mallakhamb goes global

By HT Correspondent

Updated On Feb 16, 2019 04:37 pm IST

Mallakhamb, the traditional training exercise for wrestlers in India, is all set to reach people all across the world with the first ever international championship this weekend in Mumbai. Participants from more than 15 countries will compete in the championship. As Mallakhamb requires only a rope or a wooden pole, it is accessible to the masses. Efforts are being made to train a new generation of players who can experience the discipline, endurance and concentration required by this sport.

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A player performs on a Mallakhamb pole during an early morning training session at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. The word mallakhamb comes from malla, meaning wrestler, and khamb, or pole, and is a traditional training exercise for wrestlers in India. After centuries of being practised in isolation in the subcontinent, mallakhamb is set to have its first international championship in Mumbai on February 16 and 17. (Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo)

Updated on Feb 16, 2019 04:37 pm IST

A player performs on a Mallakhamb pole during an early morning training session at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. The word mallakhamb comes from malla, meaning wrestler, and khamb, or pole, and is a traditional training exercise for wrestlers in India. After centuries of being practised in isolation in the subcontinent, mallakhamb is set to have its first international championship in Mumbai on February 16 and 17. (Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo)

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Delia Ceruti, 36, an aerialist and physical performer from Italy, has been practicing mornings and evenings at Shivaji Park under Uday Deshpande, director and secretary general of the Vishwa Mallakhamb Federation. “I am used to physically demanding activities but I am learning completely new techniques,” she said. (Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo)

Updated on Feb 16, 2019 04:37 pm IST

Delia Ceruti, 36, an aerialist and physical performer from Italy, has been practicing mornings and evenings at Shivaji Park under Uday Deshpande, director and secretary general of the Vishwa Mallakhamb Federation. “I am used to physically demanding activities but I am learning completely new techniques,” she said. (Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo)

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Vikram Nadkarni, of Newcastle, England, performs a Mallakhamb pose on a pole at Shivaji Park. In the evening, the historic Shivaji Park comes alive with mallakhamb players swirling around poles and on ropes, falling, only to get up and make another attempt. International players have started arriving to train. (Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo)

Updated on Feb 16, 2019 04:37 pm IST

Vikram Nadkarni, of Newcastle, England, performs a Mallakhamb pose on a pole at Shivaji Park. In the evening, the historic Shivaji Park comes alive with mallakhamb players swirling around poles and on ropes, falling, only to get up and make another attempt. International players have started arriving to train. (Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo)

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A trainer helps Alfie Meeson of Newcastle, England, on a mallakhamb pole. Participants from 15 countries, including the U.S. and Germany, will compete in the championship. (Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo)

Updated on Feb 16, 2019 04:37 pm IST

A trainer helps Alfie Meeson of Newcastle, England, on a mallakhamb pole. Participants from 15 countries, including the U.S. and Germany, will compete in the championship. (Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo)

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A player folds his hands in reverence near a statue of Hindu monkey-god Hanuman, a respected deity whose blessings are evoked after each Mallakhamb class, at the Shree Samartha Vyayam Mandir at Shivaji Park. (Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo)

Updated on Feb 16, 2019 04:37 pm IST

A player folds his hands in reverence near a statue of Hindu monkey-god Hanuman, a respected deity whose blessings are evoked after each Mallakhamb class, at the Shree Samartha Vyayam Mandir at Shivaji Park. (Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo)

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Like yoga, the time has come for mallakhamb to be shared with people across the globe, said Uday Deshpande. He further says that the sport has gained an international audience owing partly to reality television shows such as India’s Got Talent where mallakhamb performers have won popularity. Cirque du Soleil’s show Bazzar also features a mallakhamb performance. (Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo)

Updated on Feb 16, 2019 04:37 pm IST

Like yoga, the time has come for mallakhamb to be shared with people across the globe, said Uday Deshpande. He further says that the sport has gained an international audience owing partly to reality television shows such as India’s Got Talent where mallakhamb performers have won popularity. Cirque du Soleil’s show Bazzar also features a mallakhamb performance. (Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo)

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“Our goal is to inspire a new generation of sports fans who can experience the discipline, endurance and concentration required by this sport,” said Deshpande. (Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo)

Updated on Feb 16, 2019 04:37 pm IST

“Our goal is to inspire a new generation of sports fans who can experience the discipline, endurance and concentration required by this sport,” said Deshpande. (Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo)

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To broaden its international appeal, it helps that the gravity-defying mallakhamb doesn’t require much money or equipment. With only a rope or a wooden pole, it is an activity compatible in a village playground as well as the neighborhood gym. In India, a country with some 800 million people living in poverty, that could be mallakhamb’s greatest strength. (Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo)

Updated on Feb 16, 2019 04:37 pm IST

To broaden its international appeal, it helps that the gravity-defying mallakhamb doesn’t require much money or equipment. With only a rope or a wooden pole, it is an activity compatible in a village playground as well as the neighborhood gym. In India, a country with some 800 million people living in poverty, that could be mallakhamb’s greatest strength. (Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo)

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