Indian athletes flex their biceps before facing each other in a televised arm-wrestling competition, the discipline seeking ground in cricket-crazed India, under the encouragement of two Bollywood actors.

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The opponents battled it out under the cheering crowd at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Stadium for the Pro Panja League (PPL), which was founded in 2020.

The Indian Arm Wrestling Federation was founded in 1977, but the sport, called ‘panja’ in India, was revived by PPL owners Parvin Dabas and Preeti Jhangiani, a Bollywood acting duo.

“Our athletes are literally the sons and daughters of our land. One is a civil servant, the other is a gym trainer or a mechanic,” Parvin Dabas told AFP.

“They come from all walks of life, from small towns in India. That’s what we like and attract people, “he continued.

At the age of 23, Syekh Tauhid worked as a mason, mechanic and gym cleaner before finding fame competing in the PPL in the 90kg category.

His charming smile and well-built body added to the success of Sheikh Tauhid, who defeated his opponents with quick punches, before blowing kisses to his many fans.

“It’s a dream to live in a luxury hotel, eat well and have money,” he told AFP, adding that he had earned around 75,000 rupees ($900) since the start of the competition, ten times more than his previous earnings.

“By the strength of the wrist”

Six teams, consisting of men, women and people with disabilities, competed. The winning team will receive two million rupees ($24,000).

Launched in 2020 with exhibition matches and tournaments, this is the first PPL to be broadcast live since July 28 on Sony Sports Network in India and Willow TV in the United States. The final will take place on Sunday.

Photo: AFP

“Le bras de fer” (“Over the Top”), a film with Sylvester Stallone, released in 1987, made the discipline popular around the world, but in India, this sport with roots in Hindu mythology has received much attention.

Sheikh Tauhid lives in a rented room in his hometown of Aurangabad in the state of Maharashtra. After becoming a local star, he was able to buy a house.

“The fame I earned through arm wrestling helped me in my career as a gymnastic coach, which allowed me to earn some money,” he explains.

“Pro Panja has changed arm wrestling,” he said, “we fly to tournaments instead of traveling in a train car without a reservation.”

Photo: AFP

PPL owners believe that panco will grow in popularity. Domestically, the success of the sports league allows the humble villager to become a star.

Another PPL figure, Farheen Dehalvi, a 38-year-old mother, went from a secret competition in the state of Madhya Pradesh to a tournament in her brightly colored team jerseys, in front of television cameras.

Years of household chores have strengthened the arm of Farheen Dehalvi who has found a way to exercise his strength in arm wrestling.

“The girls who stay at home, the housewives, are stronger because they work with wrist strength,” said Ms Dehalvi, a part-time teacher and mother of a 17-year-old son.

Olympic dream

Farheen Dehalvi, who competes in the women’s category over 65 kg, won her opening match by defeating the 19-year-old with points won over several matches.

“I went to watch a wrestling match in my neighborhood and people, thinking I was strong, encouraged me to practice this sport,” he told AFP.

“In our region, the daughter-in-law is not allowed to leave the house, but my husband pushes me (…). And here I am.”

Her success has inspired others, she says, and two gyms have opened in her village where girls have started training.

PPL boasts of having foreign coaches for six teams, mainly from Kazakhstan.

“There are a lot of people in India, there are a lot of people in Kazakhstan,” seven-time world champion and PPL coach Yerkin Alimzhanov told AFP.