Gatta gusthi is a form of submission wrestling practiced in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, India. It is competed inside an open

ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

on the ground, usually on a beach, known as ''godha''. Wrestlers are called '' phayalvans''. The sport consists of around 100 techniques. Gatta gusthi was popular in the state until the arrival of

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling originated from Great Britain and the United States. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. American high school and men's college wrestli ...

and karate in late 1960s. Its freestyle form is known simply as gusthi.

History

Students practicing gymnastics in Kerala (1905)

Gatta gusthi developed into a major sporting event during the period of erstwhile

Cochin Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

and

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

kingdoms of present-day

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

was a major sports hub. Gatta gusthi events were organised regularly at various parts of the state. The sport reached its prime between 1945 and 1970. Some of the distinguished '' phayalvans'' (wrestlers) during that period were Manacaud Narayana Pillai, Polachira Ramachandran, Kattuchira Pappudas, Shankar Singh, Kayamkulam Dhayanandhan, Electric Moideen Kunj, Aslam Basheer, Kollam Rasheed, Nickel Jamal among others. Gatta gusthi was particularly in demand in

, Kollam, and

Manacaud Manacaud is a locality in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, India. This place is situated between Kamaleswaram and Attakulangara on East Fort - Kovalam - Vizhinjam Road. The United Arab Emirates embassy is also situated in Manacaud. L ...

. Kollam used to have three permanent ''godhas'' (

wrestling ring A wrestling ring is the stage on which a professional wrestling match usually occurs. It is similarly constructed to a boxing ring and is traditionally square-shaped. Configuration and construction The configuration and construction of the tra ...

). First match in

was played in 1952.

Fort Kochi Fort Kochi, Fort Cochin in English, Cochim de Baixo ("Lower Kochi") in Cochin Portuguese creole, is a neighbourhood of Cochin (Kochi) city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the Fort Manuel of Cochin, the first European for ...

beach used to host regular championship bouts till early 1970. Gatta gusthi remained a major sporting event in the state till late 1960s. It began fading after the arrival of

in the state. Freestyle wrestling, known simply as ''gusthi'', was registered as a sport in

Ernakulam district Ernakulam, ; ISO: ''Eṟaṇākuḷaṁ'', in Malayalam: എറണാകുളം), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, that takes its name from the eponymous city division in Kochi. It is situated in the central part ...

in 1969. After that, gatta gusthi was limited to certain events organised by its aficionados. However, according to Kerala State Wrestling Association, audience for gatta gusthi began declining after rumours about match fixing spread. In India, traditional Indian martial arts and

combat sports A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a competitive contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the opp ...

as a whole began fading after the introduction of karate in the later half of the 20th century. During 1970s, with the influx of foreign

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expres ...

s, Indians began travelling to

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...

in large numbers to learn karate and returned to open karate schools across the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

, in cities as well as in small towns and villages. In 1980s, karate-style action sequences became frequent in mainstream

Indian cinema The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, ...

, articles and news on karate were frequently appearing on magazines and newspapers. Additionally, state police forces across India added karate in their training. As part of reviving the sport, former champion-turned-coach T. J. George started training youngsters since his retirement. He set up a gym, Cochin Grapplers, at Fort Kochi in 1986. He founded Kerala State Gatta Gusthy Association, although it is yet to receive recognition from Kerala State Sports Council. In Kerala, governing body for all forms of wrestling is the Kerala State Wrestling Association, approved by Kerala State Sports Council and

Wrestling Federation of India The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is the governing body of wrestling in India. It is headquartered in New Delhi, India. Wrestling in India Notable wrestlers * Sushil Kumar * Yogeshwar Dutt * Sakshi Malik * Bajrang Punia * Ravi Kumar D ...

. Both gatta gusthi and gusthi saw a resurgence of interest among youngsters after wrestlers Sushil Kumar,

Yogeshwar Dutt Yogeshwar Dutt (born 2 November 1982) is an Indian freestyle wrestler. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the 60 kg category. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2013. He won gold medals at ...

and

Sakshi Malik Sakshi Malik (born 3 September 1992) is an Indian freestyle wrestler. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she won the bronze medal in the 58 kg category, becoming the first Indian female wrestler to win a medal at the Olympics. She is a part of ...

won medals at the Summer Olympics (2008, 2012, 2016) and with the success of the film '' Dangal'' (2016) and

Phogat sisters The Phogat sisters are six sisters from Haryana, India, all of whom are wrestlers. In order of their birth, they are Geeta, Babita, Priyanka, Ritu, Vinesh, and Sangeeta. While Geeta, Babita, Ritu, and Sangeeta are daughters of former wrestl ...

Characteristics

Gatta gusthi is similar to ''maati kushti'' (mud wrestling) of

North India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

. Bouts are evaluated by a referee and there are no judges. There are around 100 techniques in gatta gusthi. It is contested inside a

known as ''godha'' and wrestlers are called '' phayalvans''. Participants wear minimal clothing, normally just

briefs Briefs (or a brief) are a type of short, form-fitting underwear and swimwear, as opposed to styles where material extends down the thighs. Briefs have various different styles, usually with a waistband attached to fabric that runs along the pe ...

and are

barefoot Barefoot is the state of not wearing any footwear. There are health benefits and some risks associated with going barefoot. Shoes, while they offer protection, can limit the flexibility, strength, and mobility of the foot and can lead to h ...

. Match takes place on a sand-laden ground. There are no

weight classes Weight classes are divisions of competition used to match competitors against others of their own size. Weight classes are used in a variety of sports, especially combat sports (such as boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and wrestling). Altern ...

in gatta gusthi, bouts can be matched between any weights. Bout is won when any one wrestler pins the other to the ground. In gatta gusthi, opponent's garment can be used as an advantage, which is illegal in freestyle wrestling. Gatta gusthi has more techniques than freestyle wrestling and many of them are illegal in the latter for the risk involved. The main difference between gatta gusthi and freestyle wrestling is the duration and point system. Freestyle bouts are three rounds of two minutes each, while gatta gusthi can go as long as 30 minutes or until there is a winner. If points are tied, they may go for another round.

Competitions

In present day, gatta gusthi is also promoted by the name "Indian style wrestling".

Ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

is eight meter in diameter. Kerala State Indian Style Wrestling Association organises regular state championships for the title "Kerala Kesari". Kerala State Gatta Gusthi Association and Cochin Grapplers club together organises Indian Style Wrestling (Gatta Gusthi) Championship at

for the "Gatta Gusthi Kesari" title. Gatta gusthi is an event at the 11-day long The Beach Carnival and Games held at Puthuvype Beach, organised by the

Government of Kerala Government of Kerala is the Subnational administrative division, subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior mini ...

and Ernakulam District Sports Council to promote rural sports to enhance the lives of local fishermen and tourism in beaches. Gatta gusthi is a regular sporting event at the annual Cochin Carnival held at Fort Kochi. In 2020, Kerala Excise organised a competition at Fort Kochi as part of "Vimukthi", an anti-narcotics and de-addiction campaign by the government.

In popular culture

Gatta gusthi and ''phayalvans'' are featured in the

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

films ''

Oridathoru Phayalvaan ''Oridathoru Phayalvaan'' () is a 1981 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written, edited and directed by P. Padmarajan. The film is a folk parable about the success and failure in the life of a gatta gusthi wrestler in Kerala. It stars Rashi ...

'' (1981), '' Mutharamkunnu P.O.'' (1985), and ''

Godha The Godha are Jain tribal caste people found in the state of Gujarat in India having roots in Rajasthan. They are also known as Gondha and Gonda. The Godha sometimes (depending on region) use Dengar as a community surname.People of India Gujar ...

'' (2017). Former champion and coach T. J. George has written a book titled ''Kerala Gatta Gusthi'' in Malayalam detailing various steps and styles of gatta gusthi, which was published in 2016. George also trained actor

Tovino Thomas Tovino Thomas (born 21 January 1989) is an Indian actor and film producer who prominently works in Malayalam films. He made his debut in 2012 with the film ''Prabhuvinte Makkal''. His breakthrough roles were in the films ''ABCD'' (2013), '' 7t ...

for the film ''Godha''. Kerala Financial Corporation made a documentary film on the sport in 2016. Gatta gusthi is also featured in the film '' Thuramukham'' (upcoming film). It is a plot element in the Tamil film '' Gatta Kusthi'' (2022).

References

External links