Harbert Egberts

Swinging My Way Through India

A guest post by Harbert Egberts

Harbert Egberts:- I was waiting at the Delhi airport for my big bag hoping that I would still find my mace in there. When I got my big bag I noticed it still had a pointy shape, which meant good news: there were going to be mace flows in India. This was my second trip to India.
This year’s trip was supposed to be about training and my motorcycle, which was waiting for me in Rajasthan from my previous visit to India.

Documenting the Traditional Ways of Training in India

My vision was to document the traditional ways of training in India, and at the same time record mace flows at beautiful sights. In this way, people would see a blend of traditional and modern mace training, which is my passion. I will share a few of the highlights from my trip to India.

Varanasi – The Mecca of the Gada

Harbert Egberts:- When you travel to India and connect with the mace, you have to visit Varanasi. It is one of the oldest cities in the world and one of the seven holy cities in India. Varanasi is also home of countless Akharas, which are traditional training gyms for wrestlers.

Traditional Wrestling Training Tool

India’s wrestling history goes back at least 2500 years and it is still a major sport in India. The type of wrestling in India is usually called Pehlwani or Kushti. The gada, a bamboo stick with a stone at the end, is a traditional wrestling training tool in India. The design of the modern-day steel mace is inspired by the ancient gada.

Most Akharas throughout India focus on wrestling. In Varanasi, you’ll also find Akharas that specialise in swinging the gada and mugdar (jori).

Hindu God Hanuman

Akharas are holy places and dedicated to the Hindu God Hanuman. Hanuman is the God of strength and power and always carries a gada.

I visited many Akharas during my stay in Varanasi, and it was such an amazing experience. People are always very kind and are eager to showcase their daily training routines. The video below is about an Akhara, which is close to my heart. I visited this Akhara on my previous stay in Varanasi, and I have a good connection with the trainer. You’ll also see the religious side of Akharas, which always seems to amaze me.

Harbert Egberts training with a gada at the Tulsi Akhara

Police Connections in Kanpur

Harbert Egberts:- Having connections with the police is never a bad thing in India, as I discovered during my stay in Kanpur. Arrival in Kanpur was on a Sunday after a full day of driving. In a hurry to visit an Akhara (they usually close at sunset), I asked a police officer if he knew an Akhara. He sent one of his policemen with me to find one.
After a long search we gave up, no Akharas were open on Sundays.

Early Start

He told me that he would meet me in the morning to find Akharas. We met at 7am and found several Akharas where he would help me translate and document.

This police officer was also head of security for the JK temple in Kanpur. I met him in the afternoon and he gave me permission to film a mace flow in front of the temple, which would usually not be permitted. You’ll see the mace flow that I performed in front of this beautiful temple in the video.

The Police Officer and Harbert Egberts on their bikes

Kushti Ke Deewane

Harbert Egberts:- Five days before my departure, I received a message from the owner of the Kushti Ke Deewane Youtube Channel which focuses on Kushti wrestling.

He saw one of my videos on Youtube and wanted to help me to create a documentary about wrestling in India. Luckily he was located in Delhi, and my flight home also left from Delhi.

We met at 5 am in the morning, after 3.5 hours of sleep. He brought his brother Sunny, who is a professional wrestler and trains at one of the best Akharas in India.

Five Huge Guys in the Smallest Hyundai

Picture yourself with five huge guys in the smallest Hyundai that is available on the market. That is how we arrived at the Olympic wrestling training centre in Delhi.

I tried Kushti wrestling and all the exercises that are performed daily and saw more than 100 wrestlers in one big training area.

Traditional Post-Workout Drink

The amazing morning concluded with making a traditional post-workout drink, which is almond based and delicious. In the video below you’ll find the documentary about this day.

Sunny and Harbert Egberts training with a Sumtola