Two girls were locked in what looked like a bear hug in a ring sliced out of a busy road in Burrabazar in northwest Kolkata.
Suddenly, one of the girls flipped her opponent into the air and onto the mat. The move left the small but boisterous crowd craving for more.
An amateur wrestling and judo tournament, held in Lohapatty of Burrabazar on Sunday afternoon, was one of the many signs of resumption of normal life across a city which was brought to a standstill by a fresh surge in Covid infections at the start of 2022.
The tournament is usually held on January 30 every year to mark the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The date was not a "mere coincidence”, said organisers.
"Mahatma Gandhi gave great importance to a healthy lifestyle and stressed the need to stay fit. He liked wrestling and encouraged young wrestlers of his time," said Rabindranath Ghosh, 82, president of the Traditional Wrestling Association of Bengal.
Ghosh, who trained under legendary wrestler Gobar Guha, remembers a picture of the Mahatma adorning the wall of his mentor's room.
The association collaborated with an NGO called Sankalpa Seva Foundation to organise the tournament.
Wrestlers locked in a bear hug
Gandhi often walked 18km a day, and enough over 35 years to circle the earth twice, had unusually high blood pressure in old age but was otherwise in good health, according to a report published by the Indian Council of Medical Research, in collaboration with the National Gandhi Museum, to mark Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary in 2019.
"Last year was very difficult because of the pandemic. We had barely a dozen participants. But this year, there were around 80," said Nityananda Dutta, one of the organisers.
The tournament had subjunior, junior, cadet and senior categories for male and female wrestlers and judokas, he said. The winners got medals, certificates and T-shirts.
The participants said they were torn apart from their passion because of the pandemic. There was hardly any exposure and outdoor practice.
Priya Debdhara, 22, won in the senior women's category on Sunday. For much of 2021, Priya was confined to her home in Sankarbati, a village on the outskirts of Chandernagore in Hooghly.
"To be able to be back in a ring means a sense of relief, more than anything else. I had serious doubts whether I would be able to pursue wrestling again," said Debdhara, a thirdyear student at Khalisani College in Chandernagore.
She kept practising, at her home and a club in Chandernagore despite frequent disruptions.
"Wrestling is a body contact sport. Many parents were scared to send their wards to training camps because of the fear of infection," said Hema Paramanik, a former wrestler and kabaddi player who now mentors young players.
In Kolkata, wrestling thrives in and around Burrabazar, which is home to multiple "akhadas". Before the pandemic, winter used to see several tournaments. Even a practice bout at an akhada would draw a crowd.
But the akhadas remained closed for long periods during the past two years. The footfall, especially of young trainees, has gone down significantly.
Rohit Singh, 25, who has represented Bengal several times, is a local favourite. On Sunday, he won in the senior men's category.
Singh, who lives with his mother and three younger brothers in Amratala Lane in Burrabazar, has been working out on Red Road since 2020.
Before Covid, an akhada off Cotton Street would be his practice pad. But the frequent closures forced a change in his schedule.
"I get up at 4am and go to Red Road. Besides working out, I jog for 10km every day. Our practice sessions are rigorous. Keeping off practice can add a few kilos to my weight very quickly. I can't afford that," said Singh.
