From Akhadas to the Diu beach, how mallakhamb has come a long way

Mallakhamb is normally associated with the Akhadas and is especially practised in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra but presently it's being staged at the Ghoghla beach in Diu. And that gives the organisers plenty of hope.

KS Shrivastava, founding member of the Mallakhamb Federation of India in 1980, is proud of how far the sport has come and it's something he had never envisaged. "In my wildest imagination, I had never imagined that mallakhamb will be staged on a beach. It's basically an Akhada sport. It's a moment of great pride. I consider it a personal achievement since all my life I have tried to promote mallakhamb," said the 1980 Vikram Award winner. The award is given to the athletes from Madhya Pradesh for their sporting excellence.

Yogesh Malviya, the country's first Dronacharya awardee in mallakhamb, is also high on hopes. "This is the way going forward for mallakhamb. If we want to popularise the sport, we need to take it to more and more people, we need to find newer ways, and hosting it on a beach, not a traditional setting, is one of them. We are heading in the right direction," he said.

Shubham Balasaheb Ahir, who comes from Nasik but is now teaching mallakhamb in Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu, is one of the important persons overseeing the arrangements at the KIBG. He believes mallakhamb, a combination of yoga, gymnastics and wrestling, has the potential to grow in the union territory too.

"Initially, I didn't get a great response but slowly things are changing. I teach tribal kids. They live in areas where you can't make any phone calls because there is no connectivity. But these kids are strong physically and that's one of the reasons why they have taken to the sport," he enthuses.

At the KIBG, mallakhamb was included as a demonstration sport with boys and girls to perform across Team and Pyramid Championships but the organisers have now decided to make the event competitive. Malviya elaborates, "Initially, we had a different plan but to make it more exciting we have now made it competitive but there will be no medals at stake."

There are five indigenous sports that the Government of India, at the behest of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is looking to popularise in the country. These are mallakhamb, yogasana, thang-ta, gatka and kalarippayattu. In an additional boost to mallakhamb, it's the only native sport that's on display at KIBG 2025.

Malviya says, "It's a big thing for us. Some of the kids had not even seen a sea before. I remember one little kid said yesterday, arre itna saara paani (oh my God, so much water). He was amazed. I really hope mallakhamb keeps on creating new milestones."