Pune, December 27: It was a woman who got the shining gold medal in ‘the Olympics for India in ‘Wrestling’ which is always deemed as a male sport. No wonder India has more inspiring examples of women than men. ‘Maharashtra Kesari’- the State level wrestling championship where women fought like ‘lioness’ on the male-dominated grounds and gave another example to cheer for.
Maharashtra Kesari- this year celebrated its 60th anniversary by roping women in the competition. It started in 1961 and had only seen male competitors. In an attempt to become more inclusive and break barriers, the organizers of Maharashtra Kesari decided to rope in women to compete against each other in Pune.
The Kesari championship is held in different cities of Maharashtra once every year. The winner or “Kesari” was awarded a cash prize for the first 21 years, but since 1982, winners are also awarded a silver mace in addition to the cash prize.
Shantaram Ingawle, the organizer said that “Women are getting a platform to showcase their talent in every sector today. Many women have earned accolades in wrestling at international level. Therefore, we decided to rope in two women wrestlers this time to participate in a promotional event. This is the 60th year of the state-level wrestling competition and 42nd year of the Maharashtra Kesari tournament. We are glad that we got an opportunity to give them a chance in this important year.”
The match was fixed between Ankita Gund and Harshada Jadhav, two women wrestlers from Maharashtra. Women formed a large part of the audience gathered to watch the tournament, and most had come to cheer as Ankita wrestle with Harshada. The promotional event highlighted the need for platforms which encourage women wrestlers in India.
Ankita, who ultimately defeated Harshada said “It was a female wrestler that got India a medal in the Olympics. But even then, we never are truly acknowledged in the state. We are glad that we got the opportunity to play on this stage. We could prove that we are no less than the men who participate in this competition each year.”