Malkham
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2015: Revival in Haryana
The Times of India, Nov 15 2015
Manvir Saini
Haryana goes macho with malkham
Traditional Indian pole gymnastics is becoming popular in Haryana, thanks to some dramatic wins on TV talent shows
Popular talent hunt shows on television have actually managed to revive a dying Indian sport in Haryana's rural heartland. Malkham or pole gymnastics is becoming popular in the state because quite a few winning teams on these shows have displayed their skills in this dramatic sport. In Haryana today, four gurukuls teach the sport. Each school claims to have 150-300 students enrolled for malkham. “Exposure through television has opened more avenues for us. Our students get an opportunity to perform be yond inter-gurukulcompetitions.People now invite us for performances at private events as well,“ says Dharminder, a malkham instructor from Jhajjar. Malkham challenges both the body and the mind as it requires not just flexibility but also powers of concentration and balance. And of course it is an impressively dramatic sport, one reason why it manages to floor talent judges.
Modern history
Malkham was brought to Haryana in 1963 by Swami Devvrat Acharya. In the land of its origin, Maharashtra, malkhamba (as it is called there) enjoys a superior status and is taught in what Haryana teachers call “high-fi“ schools. In Haryana, however, it is still associated with conventional gurukuls that select malkham players on the basis of flexibility, stamina and strength tests. “City lads find malkham quite tough because it needs constant practice and exercise. So, our students largely come from rural backgrounds, from homes that study vedic traditions and follow gurukul protocols. We expect to start rope malkham for girls in Ambala next year,“ says Devvrat. Over the years, Devvrat, now 72, has trained several students who are now teaching youngsters at gurukuls in Kurukshetra, Jhajjar, Indrapuram and Faridabad. You can spot students at these gurukuls, from Class V to XII, exercising on wooden poles. In fact, twisting and twirl ing their lithe bodies around the poles, young boys in khapland seem to have now found a new way to flaunt their machismo. Despite its growing popularity , the state is yet to recognize the sport (it is played in three forms at the National Games).
What is malkham?
It is a traditional Indian sport in which a gymnast performs feats requiring immense flexibility and balance on a wooden pole. The pole is 1012-foot high and the base diameter is about 5-6 inches, tapering to a top which measures around 1.5-2 inches in diameter. These exercises can also be performed on a rope hanging from the ceiling.
