Y Merina Chishi
Wrestling has always been a popular sport among Naga tribes like the Angamis, Chakhesangs, Rengmas and Zeliangs. It was mainly a way to stay fit and also a form of entertainment during traditional festivals. However, with the growth and popularity of the sport worldwide, wrestling is also gaining large fan following in Nagaland too.
In an arena filled with enthusiastic fans cheering for their favourite wrestler, one would think a popular game of football was being played. That is the kind of attention wrestling is enjoying today. Therefore, the introduction of wrestling in government schools of Nagaland is an encouraging move in the field of sports.
The government of Nagaland formally launched wrestling in government schools in November this year.It will be implemented by the Nagaland Wrestling Association (NWA).Here the NWA has a very important role to play as it's task would involve more than just imparting training.
Traditional games are slowly gaining popularity across the globe. For instance, kabbadi which is considered a leisure game played in rural India has now become a professional league in India. Although it is not yet a formal discipline in sporting competitions, the Indian pro-kabbadi league has attracted players from foreign countries like Iran, Nepal and South Korea.
Wrestling, like any sport requires discipline and dedication. It is going to be a humongous task for the NWA to identify and train children who see or know wrestling only as a form of entertainment. Furthermore, the government should also decide on how it is going to support the sport beyond schools.
In north India, particularly Haryana, the dedication of the wrestlers has taken the sport to a different level altogether. Today many young men and women want to pursue wrestling as a profession. Naga wrestling by those standards had a long way to go. But it is up to the government how far it is willing to go to enable wrestling in Nagaland to reach those standards.
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