Friday, September 01, 2006

Silly pig 2 + akhada

Okay, too much photo-blogging happening I know, but couldn’t resist another silly pig. This is from that fitness story I mentioned earlier (it’s out in City Limits magazine now, with the new issue of Outlook). The photographer couldn’t persuade me to don a loincloth and climb into the mud-pit, but he did get this shot. (The “Ignore this person” T-shirt was pure chance.)


On a more serious note, I enjoyed my trip to the Akhada for other reasons – it was quite an eye-opener to see how these wrestlers live, practice and work together in their mini-village just off the Ring Road. (Many of them have been around the world for international competitions but the lack of government patronage for their sport means they’re always struggling for opportunities - a painfully familiar story for anyone who follows the tribulations of sportsmen/athletes other than cricketers.) Their life here is a remarkable model of community living, very disciplined and rigorous (which doesn’t prevent them from having television sets and even CD players inside most of their huts!). Will blog about it in detail later.

[Photo: Rajesh Thakur for Outlook]

11 comments:

  1. This is brilliant. Thank you Jai!

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  2. I hope you don't get offended but this looks like something out of a prison scene, where the men on the right have had they wicked way with you and the ones on the left are waiting to. the guy in the center is plain confused. like i said please no offense. its a damn funny pic tho. ROTFL

    S

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  3. Brilliant.

    S is wrong though. What it really looks like is one of those scenes in comic adaptations of H. Rider Haggard novels where the unwitting white man wanders in among a tribe of cannibals, and stands around grinning idiotically (sorry, Jai) while they contemplate the prospect of turning him into stew with a certain amount of grim relish*. You can almost imagine the next scene, where Jai sees the ten foot high crock pot and realises that they haven't invited him to lunch, they've invited him to BE lunch.

    P.S. I have to say it looks like they'll get a hearty meal (sorry again Jai). Much better than slaughtering innocent cows, for instance. Or pigs, silly or otherwise.

    *pun intended

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  4. aww..and you look so happy!

    Magnificent.

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  6. haha! this is really funny :) btw, where is this place??

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  7. Are those trophies you're holding?
    If so, what did you win them for?

    J.A.P.

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  8. Anita: it's a little way off Delhi's Ring Road, near the Majnu ka Tilla. Quite bizarre in a way to see a community like this just a couple of hundred metres off the road...

    JAP: for being slim and fit, what else? :D

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