Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took some time off from his busy schedule here on Sunday to watch a Nada Kusti (traditional wrestling) match after inaugurating the Dasara wrestling tournament here.
By lifting a wooden mace (used by wrestlers for practice in garadi mane), the Chief Minister, accompanied by Minister in charge of Mysuru district H.C. Mahadevappa, MLA T S Srivatsa, Mayor Shivakumar and others, inaugurated the wrestling bouts amidst the presence of a large number of wrestling enthusiasts.
The inaugural match between ‘Pailwan’ Karthik Kate of Davangere and ‘Pailwan’ Vicky of Delhi was watched by Mr. Siddaramaiah.
This was followed by another bout between Ravi of Chikkahalli and Pavan.
Nada Kusti (traditional wrestling) was once a major entertainment in Mysuru and it used to happen frequently. The wrestling tradition was carefully patronised by the royal family and was always a crowd-pulling sport. Besides Nada Kusti, people witness another form of wrestling, Vajramusthi Kalaga (fist fighting), on the palace premises on the day of Vijayadashami.
Dasara wrestling bouts still attract large crowds, indicating its popularity. The rusticity of Nada Kusti had encouraged youngsters in the old Mysuru region to take up the tradition with keen interest. However, the sport is on the wane in the absence of patronage in the form of infrastructure and financial backing. The local wrestlers also take part in freestyle wrestling competitions in State and national events but lack of funds had deprived them from participation on many occasions.
