AKHADA
AKHADA
Akhada, authored by Saurabh Duggal, is a biography of Mahavir Singh Phogat, one of India’s greatest wrestling coaches. It gives us a motivating story and detailed information regarding his life. It talks about the numerous struggles faced by him, to train his daughters.The book talks about his early days in school, in the akhada, his life changing match and his decision to choose wrestling as a profession.
Akhada narrates how Mahavir Singh decided to do the impossible, by digging a pit in his courtyard in the village of Balali, Haryana, to train his daughters and nieces. His determination and the urge to continue training his daughters, despite the deep social stigma, societal insults, an impassive government, village not being supportive towards girls learning wrestling, and personal tragedy, is worth mentioning.
The book also details the matches played by the Phogat girls, their excellence in the sport, their victories in various events, the fame and fortune they earned for the family and their village, etc. Today, the village boasts itself as the home to the Phogat daughters.
He was a teacher and a father to his daughters and stayed staunch to teach them wrestling in the most efficient manner. This book inspires us to learn a lot about teaching, and the qualities that a teacher must possess. Hence, this a must-read.
