In southern Pakistan, traditional malakhra wrestlers keep an ancient legacy alive
Assalamu alaikum - Two pehlwans strain under the bright sun, feet digging into the dusty pitch of a local football ground. They grunt and twist, grabbing at the opponent’s lungi with everything they have while hundreds of people gather around, watching intently.
This is malakhra, a centuries-old wrestling tradition from Sindh that still draws crowds despite fading support. Matches start when both wrestlers secure the twisted cloth - the lungi - around the other’s waist and try to use strength and technique to throw their rival down. Whoever hits the ground first loses.
Many believe malakhra goes back to the days of Mohenjo-Daro and the Indus Valley civilization. Yet in a country where cricket takes most of the spotlight, malakhra’s athletes say their sport is often overlooked.
“This game has no stadiums, no academies,” said Ghulam Nabi Sheedi, a former wrestler and secretary of the Sindh Malakhra Association, at a recent three-day tournament in Karachi. “With regret, I say our game receives very little support from the government.”
The annual event at Syed Mehmood Shah Bukhari football ground in Chanesar Goth - held to mark the death anniversary of the local saint Syed Mehmood Shah - featured 25 competitors this year and still managed to attract hundreds.
Without dedicated facilities, matches are held on makeshift grounds like football fields. “There should be a little softer soil,” Ghulam Nabi warned. “Someone could get injured, even die. But we have passion, so we play.”
Repeater Sheedi (Khuda Bux Sheedi), who defeated top contender Rashid Ali Khatian to move forward in the contest, voiced similar frustration about recognition: “When you show malakhra, the whole world watches. But from the government side, we receive no recognition.”
For many, malakhra is more than a sport - it’s family tradition and history. Sarfaraz Moosa comes from five generations of malakhra wrestlers: “It’s malakhra. Sometimes your foot goes, sometimes your leg. We come with prayers. We leave home with prayers.”
Behram Khasakheli, president of the Karachi Division Malakhra Association, says the sport’s roots go back some 5,000 years and recalls earlier times when Pakistani wrestlers brought pride by defeating Indian opponents.
The provincial administration, however, says it does support malakhra. Sadia Javed, Sindh’s spokesperson, explained there is an endowment fund through which the sports department assists these athletes, helps organize events, and helps educated wrestlers find government jobs so they can support their families. She added that traditional games don’t get the same marketing or media attention as modern sports, which affects public visibility.
Despite the challenges, malakhra’s followers keep coming - driven by love for the sport, respect for tradition, and faith that it will endure. Wa salaam.
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