Malakpur Akhara Project
Malakpur Gram Panchayat, located in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district, is home to some of India’s finest wrestlers and kabaddi players. Located in the midst of India’s sugar belt, Malakpur has produced several professional athletes who have represented India at international sporting events including the Olympics and Asian Games winning laurels, despite no access to formal sports training facilities. Malakpur’s sporting tradition has been nurtured through the age-old tradition of guru-shishya parampara of the akhara (master-pupil), where former athletes, train youngsters to excel at their respective disciplines. On account of Malakpur’s long sporting tradition in kushti and kabbadi, the village hosts several competitions throughout the year that attracts visitors and spectators from the entire state to watch athletes compete at the highest levels. These competitions, known as dangals, attract state and private patronage which help financially support the akharas and the athletes. A formal training centre coupled with a stadium can help provide professional facilities for the dangals, drawing in more crowds and cementing Malakpur’s position as a sporting powerhouse.
Rationale and Scope:
- Develop on Malakpur’s strong sporting traditions in wrestling and kabaddi by providing access to modern sports training facilities.
- Currently, there are around 60 children and youth who regularly come to practice at Malakpur. Of these, a majority of them – almost 45 play kabaddi only and the rest are wrestlers.
- Migration to metro cities such as Delhi, located barely 150 kms away has become common for aspirational youngsters who want to achieve more in life.
Pucca is working closely with local leaders and the Malakpur – Loyan Gram Panchayat to develop a multi-purpose state of the art sports training and fitness centre for youth athletes of the village. The centre will serve as a gurukul for local trainers to impart training to young wrestlers and kabaddi players and ensure early career opportunities for sportspersons. The village also has a rich tradition of hosting dangals and sports competitions that act as a platform for young athletes to demonstrate their prowess and skills. A formal training centre coupled with a stadium can help provide professional facilities for the dangals, drawing in more crowds and cementing Malakpur’s position as a sporting powerhouse.
