India’s folk wrestlers have been grinding in the pit for centuries. Known as Dangal or Kushti, this ancient style dates back to the 16th century. Now, with some wrestlers finding Olympic success, the sport is drawing new audiences.
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00:00In rural India, wrestling matches have been drawing crowds for thousands of years.
00:11With just a loin cloth and a splash of scented oil, muscular grapplers step into a traditional mud ring,
00:17not afraid of getting dirty. Here, the mud has a purpose.
00:21When we fight, we sweat. Then we lose grip. That's why we have to apply mud.
00:27The mud gives us grip and helps us grapple better. If we slip, we cannot grapple well.
00:33Like Greco-Roman wrestling, athletes clinch, tie and hook and then win by pinning their opponents back to the ground.
00:39But unlike the Olympic style, these matches have no set time limit and are held in rural villages on sacred ground.
00:46Images of the Hindu deity Hanuman overlook mud rings purified with yogurt and milk, neem tree leaves and oil.
00:54Mud has a lot of value. It is everything. There's nothing without it.
01:00It has given me everything. It has a lot of importance, even to the people of the village. It has a lot of value.
01:07Known as dangle or kushti, this wrestling style emerged in the 16th century.
01:11It blends centuries old folk wrestling with Persian martial arts, creating a powerful grassroots discipline.
01:17Wrestlers abstain from alcohol and cigarettes and train in traditional gyms called talims.
01:23But the daily grind would feel familiar to athletes anywhere.
01:26Hard training, a high protein diet and the discipline to rest. The keys to success.
01:32After all, India's first Olympic medalist came out of a talim.
01:36It is from this mud that wrestlers reach the Olympics and compete on the mat. There they have to practice differently.
01:43Since 1952, Indian wrestlers, both men and women, have won eight Olympic medals, two silver and six bronze.
01:51Despite this modest tally, the ubiquity of neighborhood talims reflects the sport's enduring popularity.
01:57Across India, whoever pursuing their own goals or, in Anil Haral's case, passing on the torch to his son,
02:04office workers often sneak out during lunch breaks to lock horns in the dirt with the boys.
02:10My unfulfilled dream will be realized. My dream was left unfulfilled. My leg was injured.
02:17That's why my dream was unfulfilled. And that's why I am focusing on passing this to my son.
02:22While Olympic glory inspires dreams, it's the traditional wrestling style that remains most beloved in rural India.
02:29Bouts will keep happening in villages. They won't end. Every village has a tradition.
02:36They have a fair and that's where it happens. It happens every year. It's not like the fair will stop. It will continue.
02:44Whether standing proud at a village festival or on an Olympic podium, in India, every champion starts down in the mud.
02:51And every match keeps the tradition alive.
02:55Justin Wu and Bryn Thomas for Taiwan Plus.