Zakie Khate
It all started in 1976. Firmly clinging on to his father’s hand, an anxious young boy enters the roaring and thundering Kuochiezie arena where the warriors attempts to overpower each other .This boy is extremely stunned by the sand and the sweat of the wrestling warriors. The glorious recognition and honour of the highest order accorded to the truly great in the ring, stirred him beyond any reasonable doubt. No one had any idea that this boy, standing alone waiting for his father to do away, with some arrangements at the wrestling meet, would one day become ‘the one ‘among the truly great. Who would have envisioned except for the sands that this boy seasoned in the shadow of these great warriors would one day fight for the honour of the great arena.
This is the story of a man who with enduring courage took 16 long years in his quest to glory and honour. This is the story of a grant wrestler, someone who stood the test of time, someone who refused to turn his back on his vision until he received the standing ovation of the truly great. This is the story of Kezhalelie Keretsü, son of Mesoselhou Keretsü and Kesa-a Keretsü of D. Khel Kohima Village. Sixteen years after he burst onto the scene as a potential Naga wrestler, Kezhalelie has evolved as a legendary wrestler. His accomplishments in the arena, the four epic battles against Hevüsü, and the stunning victories he achieved after almost two decades, the unfortunate loss and the final win made Kezha the man who refused to surrender without the highest honour of Naga wrestling.
Medoselhu’s unrelenting dream for his boy never faded until he achieved it. I n fact even when a bachelor he would often think, ‘one day if I have a son, I will make a wrestler champion of him’. It was Medoselhu who motivated and encouraged his son even more. Kezhalelie never overpowered his father as far as his 15th Birthday. 1993 came and the boy’s days to fulfill his dream to be a warrior of the great arena drew closer. The beginning of his epic journey was when he participated in the D Khel Kohima Village Wrestling Meet. He emerged as the third in his first shot at the sand. His success here however was only a stepping stone towards a colossal, challenging, dangerous yet glorious tryst with his destiny.
Kezhalelie’s mother, Kesa-e was hesitant to the keen ideas of her husband and her son. Her two elder brothers, Lhouphi Sorhie and Lhousuolalie Sorhie were former champions of the great arena. She knew in her heart what price a wrestler pays. This is true as the negative impact of wrestling has many far reaching implications. ‘She only wanted me to excel in my studies’ says Kezhalelie. In the same year of 1993, at the training camp while he was away, his mother came and took away his bedding. His mother warned him that if he ever wrestled again, she wouldn’t even stay home anymore. Kezhalelie admits that it was one of the most emotional moments in his life, to be objected on what he envisaged so often. His mother could no longer stop her emotions from lashing on her son. In one of the earlier years Kezha’s leg was seriously fractured while wrestling and the struggle with the pain lasted a very long time. His mother was annoyed by this incident and thus her objections were not without substantial reasons. ‘ayalie anuo bie kethewe watie mu’ (Gosh! My son will be maimed! ) was his mother’s reaction to the incident. Her objections were naturally based on sheer love and affection of a mother for her son. Whereas his father held the view that he was more than a graduate if he becomes the champion. The weight of his fatherbecame heavier and the rest is history.
The year 1996 took him all the way to the great arena of khouciezie. Here is where he met the legendary wrestler, a terhuomiavi (Demigod) in wrestling, a warrior who never falls. Heviisii was his name. He came and conquered all with no sand behind his back. All great wrestlers feared this ferocious warrior. They envied him. They wanted luck in their favor to wrestle with this legend to conquer the legend itself. The period in wrestling at this moment was what the other wrestlers acknowledged as ‘in the time of Heviisii’. Kezhalelie faced the legend of the time with no lesser legend in him. But Heviisii took the better of him in their four times epic battle. With true character of wrestling honor, Kezhalelie acknowledged him as truly great. The subsequent years of 1998, 2002 and 2004, he kept meeting the legend itself.
At the 2003 Naga Open Wrestling Championship, He only had one thought in his mind-to be the legend by defeating the legend himself. However, Kezhalelie once again met his Achilles heels in the final round. The legend yet again walked passed him. The sand of time was still not in his favor. 2004 was the last time he met the legend in the great arena. A true wrestler accepts the triumph of an opponent. Kezhalelie did that and that was the last time they ever wrestled again. Heviisii retired that year from the arena ending the era and times of the legend with him.
The year of 2005 Naga open wrestling came. All in a flashback of his memory, the thundering screams and yells of the crowd, as in his boyhood came alive. He vividly remembered how as a boy he watched the intimidating giants wrestle. From a boy with a vision to a giant wrestler himself, he stood on the great arena. He had already stood there earlier but this time, it was different. It took almost the whole day to finish off the knock out rounds. Wrestlers from the East, West, North and South came. Further still from Chokri and Khezha, from Zeme, Liangmai and Rong, from Mao and Poumai. They came, all for one to be the champion of the great arena. Khouciezie became the centre of the spirits filled with full energy, hopes and dreams. Kezhalelie had his small silent prayer. Dusk was slowly approaching and so was the final of the 2005 Open Naga Wrestling Championship. At last, the moment came. His name was called out to take the stage against his opponent. Medoselhu was standing somewhere in the corner, looking calm yet I don’t know what was running through his mind. His father has given all for him. Moments later, the final whistle was blown; the moment of truth finally came, all what he had envisioned and yearned for has come. And here he was standing proudly as the champion which his destiny had deneid for long.
His non-participation in 2006 remains a mysterious year for many with gossips and rumors. A murder case was discovered by his khel and they passed a ruling against the accused and his family. Kezhalelie objected to the ruling on the ground that the sister and innocent brothers of the accused were not guilty and, hence, leniency against the other family members should be given. Unfortunately, his appeal landed only on deaf ears. His conscience did not allow him to see the innocent children and wife carry the burden of the guilty. He refused to participate in the wrestling that year as he represents the khel. This matter was however put to rest in the year 2008 at D khel Golden Jubilee in a process of forgiveness and reconciliation. That year, Neibu Rio of Chiechama from the northernmost part of Angami village became the champion of the great arena.
The years of 2009, 2010 and 2011, Kezhalelie kept himself isolated from Wrestling. Many thought that he had already retired from the arena. Yet his life in the ring would have been short-lived had he not returned, his vision as a boy unfulfilled, the dream of his father to see a wrestler champion son at Khouciezie would not have seen the light of its day, the glorious record of his name as a ‘truly great’ warrior would have been unrecorded. The sands would only bear his footprints, and his sweat would only be dribbling away slowly with time. Then came 2012, and the warrior to be the legend himself returned to the arena. And he came as he did 16 years ago much in the same way and style. Many had their doubts and hopes of the man soon to be proved wrong and right. They later faced the man and conceded he is a man and a force to reckon with. Like the phoenix that rose from the ashes of its funeral pyre, the giant is back in business. And he had only one purpose to achieve and a vision to accomplish- the King of the arena.
Kezhalelie's life has been played out as much on the front pages as on the sports pages. In the words of his family members, opponents, friends, and others who have known him best, the real kezhalelie emerges: a religious, mercurial, generous, a showman in and out of the ring. No one has ever accused kezha of being modest and reticent regarding his accomplishments. Possibly because there was a time when he was viewed negatively by a substantial portion of people. In contrast, the penchant for bragging by his detractors may not have damaged (and may, in fact, have helped) his image in his career as a wrestler.
‘Age and time has taken its toll on me. My reflexes are down and my weight has tremendously gained. My mind doesn’t control my physical movements and above that I am not swift anymore. All the way along, I had to plan my game. Wrestling is like a game of chess. Apart from the physical aspect, I had to strategize and tempt my opponent to take advantage of his weakness and truly a little short and sincere prayer helped me to focus when tension dominated my mind’. Kezhalelie adds, “Champions are not made in gyms”- Muhamad Ali. ‘As I sat pondering over this, I find it very true in the sense that apart from many other aspects, the determination and the intense thirst of wanting to get it is the solid foundation’. Kezhalelie thought that he was invincible even by the best. He often thought to the extreme that it’s all about him and nothing to do with supernatural powers or forces. ‘I would work out day in and out secretly and no one knows where I go or do and act as though I wasn’t working out’ He is a man extreme at both ends of the pole. His good friend, Pelesatuo often calls him as Dr. Jackal and Mr Hyde-a two faced man. True to his nature, he is someone very active in his church and also equally active in exactly contradictory social life. ‘Consciously or unconsciously, had I offended anyone, I deeply regret it’ is what the champ of the arena had to say. He adds, ‘I realized really very late that the moment you think you are the master, you fall. It is not my strength; it is God that I owe. He blessed me. It was as long as I thought I was the one, it was never possible. I swear 16 years of my tryst with destiny taught me that.
Ami is someone in Angami tradition considered next to Ukepenuopfii (God) and it is said blessings from them for anything never goes in vain. Kezhalelie’s mother Kesa-e insisted that he meets his Mi Shiirhozelie Liezietsu or Ami (Maternal male family members) while he was preparing for the Naga wrestling in the Angami camp. He met him to seek from him invocation of his mi’s blessings and gifted him a thousand rupees to have even a morsel in his name. He thus received the customary blessings for battle. His wife Neilhoubei-ii, a refined religious woman is behind every little details of his life. ‘I owe to my wife in every ways both on and off the ground who remains as my constant inspiration and my nephew Khrietsonyii Whuorie who would always wake me up early in the morning for daily exercise and being with me all the way to the ring’. The pressure facing him at that point of time was intense. His village elders and people after blessing him had placed their hopes on him. And in the final round of 2012 wrestling, he was again carrying the whole Angami hope. Kezhalelie’s destiny to be truly great of the arena has come. He now stands on the arena under the shadows of the warriors which he saw as a young boy. He now stands as the shadow itself. Destiny has taken him thus far. Would it be his fate to triumph today? 16 years, 36 years and yes it came to pass. He lived his dream itself. He not only walked away with glory and honour, he also held his head high having to experienced and saw what it takes to be a champion and the price that he had to pay to make it happen. It took away the best of him and in return gave the best to him. In the journey of his destiny, he triumph and he fall as well but his resilient spirit refused to let him go down without his name written down in history of truly great warriors. His dad who is no lesser committed to this goal is equally contended as his dream too came to pass. Dreams to be the King of the sands and sweats is lived.
