The wrestlers of Varanasi
I wrestled in high school and college and, like most wrestlers, thought I worked hard. We worked out in an air conditioned gym with weights, mats, and safety equipment. In Varansi, wrestlers embrace a whole new level of toughness. There is no gym, no mat, and definitely no safety equipment.
The “wrestling mat” is a 30 foot square patch of dirt that is hoed up before every practice session to make it soft – soft being an entirely relative term. As other wrestlers look on, two extremely fit young men will battle it out in the field. Occasionally they will stop to cover themselves in dirt. The dirt both cools them down and reduces the slipperiness of their sweat in the 110 degree heat.
At the end of practice, there are no hot showers. The wrestlers wash off using water from a hand pump near the wrestling field. The work ethic and dedication of these wrestlers is truly amazing.
Fantastic images. Some of those wrestlers look like they’re carved out of stone.
These are some really beautiful images. You have really shown the power and grace of the sport. The physiques of a lot of them would seem to contradict the Western perception of the Indian man as a skinny brainiac. A lot of people seem to like to photograph Kushti wrestling, it does seem a photogenic subject, but these are among the best images i have seen of it. So glad I clicked on the link in Craig Ferguson’s tweet.
I didn’t even know such wrestlers existed. Great find. Great shots.
All the pics looked high-key. I kept wondering how they would’ve looked low-key with a bit of grain – would’ve looked more dramatic? Or may be I missed the affect you are going for.