The Punjab government’s plan to relocate the two akharas (or wrestling stadiums) -- Muslim Health Club and another, unnamed one which is situated close to the Haider Saeen Mizar -- has shocked many.
According to reports, Muslim Health Club is to be shifted to another area, within the confines of the Greater Iqbal Park, whereas the unnamed akhara shall likely be moved to a donated piece of land.
Interestingly, both the akharas once had the blessings of the late Mian Muhammad Sharif, the father of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
As the story goes, the Punjab government has issued a notice to the Punjab Sports Board to demolish the two akharas and hand over the land to Parks & Horticulture Authority (PHA). A food court and an artificial lake shall be used on the land.
The elders of the area lament the fact, recalling how Muslim Health Club enjoyed the status of a relic -- it was set up in 1944 when a Muslim family donated an eight-kanal piece of land for a wrestling stadium. It is said that Rustam-e-Hind Imam Bakhsh and Gunga Pehalwan played a historic match of kushti (traditional wrestling which is part of Punjab’s culture) in the club ground.
The wresting contest was called ‘dangal.’ But now the akharas are very few and far between. Although the PHA authorities intend to relocate the sports venue, the concerned locals do not want to let go of it. "We appeal to the government not to give up on the cultural history of the city," says Majeed Pehalwan, talking to TNS.
"Strange that the government should eliminate the sports avenues instead of providing for them. But we aren’t going to stop protesting."
The Greater Iqbal Park Project involves the renovation and landscaping of Minar-i-Pakistan, while the additional area shall be taken up by the Circular Gardens, with an estimated cost of Rs403.686 million.
"The akharas used to function as academies for the sport of kushti and this place has produced such luminaries as Jhara, Bholu, Gaama and Kala," Majeed adds. "They defeated Indian wrestlers in various important competitions."
Majeed recalls how the different governments have shown apathy towards the sport, eventually bringing it to an untimely end.
Director General PHA explains that the government has decided to go ahead with an upgraded Muslim Health Club within the Greater Iqbal Park, while the other akhara shall be shifted to a nearby "donated piece of land."
He recalls how Muslim Health Club was the first akhara that was built in the Lahore of 1944, after the Muslims were deprived of other wrestling opportunities.
For the uninitiated, the Greater Iqbal Park Project is to be completed in a year’s time at the cost of Rs1.19 billion. "There shall be a museum of history, statues of historic figures in the Pakistan Movement, and recreational facilities along with food courts," the DG PHA says.
Northern Lahore was always known for its akharas such as the Minar-i-Pakistan Akhara, Haji Da Akhara in Faiz Bagh, and Baba Shah Bilour Akhara in Kot Khawaja Saeed. History shows that by 1970, Pakistan had bagged 18 gold medals in wrestling in the Commonwealth Games.
The Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF) says the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) does not have enough money, and that providing grants to private clubs and courts was a complicated process. A few years ago, the Punjab government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Japan to set up a wrestling academy in Lahore. However, it is yet to materialise.
Muhammad Javed, a Walled City based local guide with an experience spanning decades, says kushti is a dying sport. "We need better opportunities and protect the existing spaces [of akhara] to keep the traditional sport alive.
"Currently, gyms are becoming popular in the city but the kind of natural environment you would get at an akhara is unmatched," Javed says.