In India, a dangal is nothing less than a festival of wrestling. Thousands of people gather from nearby villages to make the most of the en...
In India, a dangal is nothing less than a festival of wrestling. Thousands of people gather from nearby villages to make the most of the entertainment on offer. Sometimes there are multiple bouts happening in the arena and often the trick to drawing attention to a particular bout is describing the wrestlers taking part in creative ways. The more famous ones are known for their deeds but the challenge for the announcers is to look for something different in the newer ones.
So at times, they will talk about their mountain-like build. Sometimes, they will simply add the name of the village or the akhada the wrestler comes from. But when they saw a young Virender Singh for the first time, they didn’t think too hard. Here was a guy who couldn’t hear or talk and he was competing in a regular dangal. So what better way to draw attention than by simply calling him Goonga Pehelwan?
The moniker ‘Goonga Pehelwan’ (The mute wrestler) maybe seen as a tad disrespectful to describe Virender Singh, the decorated Deaflympian from India, who cannot hear or talk.
But it is one he has embraced wholeheartedly because it helped spur his storied international career. From being a champion...
