Similar battle, new arena: Rudraneil Sengupta on Vinesh Phogat the politician

Watching Vinesh Phogat in her new avatar as a politician has been fascinating.

Since her days as a junior wrestler, she has been the tough-as-nails fighter practicing tirelessly on the mat, an inquisitive frown fixed in place. I have seen her push herself at the gym, a marvel of agility and strength.

Now, here she is campaigning to be the Congress MLA from the district of Julana, Haryana, addressing crowds the likes of which this area rarely sees at political events.
“We are here because she will put our little piece of Haryana on the national and international map,” one elderly resident said to me, retying his white turban in the noon heat. “She is amazing. Such a fighter, such personality. I hope she will be our next sports minister.”
Phogat was completely at ease with the crowd, dressed uncharacteristically (though this may become her uniform) in an oversized salwar, short hair sticking to her scalp in a carefully arranged mess. She was a natural at the mic, with a ready wit and clearly articulated thoughts. She was even better with the media, handling difficult questions with grace and composure.
The fight is not over, she said, referring to the battle ahead, as well as the one she has helped lead, against former wrestling federation chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, currently facing charges of sexual harassment.
In her carefully calibrated speech and her demeanour, one can see that Phogat has had excellent training. For more than a year before the Paris Olympics, she led what is essentially the first MeToo movement in Indian sport, taking on a powerful politician of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
She is no longer speaking as the protestor who spent months on the streets of Delhi, and was eventually dragged away by the police, still clinging to an Indian flag. She speaks as an agent of change from within, and it’s a thrilling if subtle transition to watch.
Phogat has always been good at sizing up her opponent, and evolving to the needs of the ring. If this looks set to be a tough fight, well, she’s never had it easy.
Her father, Rajpal Phogat, was murdered over a land dispute when she was 10, at which point she, her younger sister and her mother moved into the home of her paternal uncle, Mahavir Singh Phogat.
Mahavir was a wrestler, a student of Chandgi Ram (1937-2010), the man who pioneered women’s wrestling in India — amid so much protest that the Olympian’s famous Delhi akhada was once burnt down by a mob.
Ram made a deep impression on Mahavir, who decided that he would also dedicate his life to promoting women’s wrestling. His house served as the first wrestling school for girls in rural India. His first students? His four daughters, and two nieces.
“Masterji (Ram) opened my eyes,” Mahavir says. “He used to tell me, what you are doing for the girls is bringing you great pain now, but it will transform into great happiness soon. Keep doing it. Don’t be scared. Face your difficulties like you would face an opponent in the wrestling pit, and be deaf to criticism.”
The Phogat family faced a stiff social boycott in the village, but the girls found a life of happiness and thrills despite that: the wrestler’s life. The training, fighting, euphoria of competitiveness, the pain of practice, the liberating experience of wearing shorts and T-shirts (they were the first girls in their village to do this) and all the fuss over their diet, were all strictly male privileges. Except, now they weren’t.
Mahavir’s daughters were pioneers: Geeta Phogat, the eldest, was the first Indian woman to win a wrestling gold at the Commonwealth Games (2010). She and her sister Babita Phogat both won bronze at the 2012 World Wrestling Championships, the first time India managed two medals at the Worlds. Geeta was the first Indian woman wrestler to qualify for the Olympics; Babita was the second. Vinesh Phogat would race forward, with multiple world championship, an Asian championship and Asian Games medals.
The Phogats are a family of pioneers. It is easy to see where Vinesh gets her power.
(To reach Rudraneil Sengupta with feedback, email [email protected])