Jori Swinging Street Contest 2014

The Akharas in Varanasi organise competitions for Nag Panchami (Cobra Festival), such as Wrestling, Gada swinging and Jori Club swinging. The footage on this video was recorded at an evening street Jori Swinging Street Contest.

There are four categories in the Jori Swinging Competition

Number 1.          35 kg upwards
Number 2.          29-32 kg each club
Number 3.          25-27 kg each club
Number 4.          20-22 kg each club

Each category is swung for maximum repetitions, a swing with both left and right arms counts as ONE.

Warming-Up

Each contestant warms up by swinging the Gada Mace 20kg. Then they switch to Jori Clubs and perform a ladder style warm-up through three to four sets of clubs, increasing weight each time.

Mustard Oil (Sarasōṁ kā tēla)

A contestant has mustard oil called Sarasōṁ kā tēla (सरसों का तेल) applied to his shoulders, cheeks and the Jori Club itself which helps the club slide on and off the shoulders during the swing.

Glue the Hands to the Handle

The club handles are coated in a sticky substance called Geela Razzan, and then coated with a magnesium powder. This combination enhances the gripping of the club by glueing the hands to the handle.

Personal Attendants

Each contestant has personal attendants who clean and prepare the club handles. They also rub the sweat of the contestant before the final heavy swing in each category.

It is worth noting that the Jori swing style is based on sliding the clubs on and off the shoulders as opposed to the Persian Club which is held forward of the body, with the exception of heavier Persian Clubs which are handled in a similar way to the Jori.

Nag Panchami (Cobra Festival) courtesy of Wikipedia

Nag Panchami (Cobra Festival) is celebrated all over North India from historical times snakes have been worshipped by Hindus, and places of worship are reported as early as 700.

Akhara

In northwestern India, it is the time when Akharas (venues of wrestling practice and competitions) as part of Nag Panchami celebrations are cleaned up thoroughly.
Walls painted with images of snakes, training equipment is repainted, priests preside, and the gurus are honoured along with the sponsors.

Snakes Drinking Milk

The significance is that the wrestlers stand for virility and Naga symbolises this “scheme of virility”. Akharas are decorated with snake images showing snakes drinking milk.

Snake Charmers

On this day snake charmers are everywhere in towns and villages displaying snakes in baskets. All types of snakes are on display, such as pythons, rat snakes, and cobras mingled together. Some of the snake charmers hang limp snakes around their neck and crowds gather to witness these scenes.