Wrestling Phogat Sisters Of India

India’s dangal damsels.

- G. V. Joshi

It’s very rare that four girls from the same family win medals at an international sports event – and that too one like wrestling. Yet it has happened in the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships, held at Johannesburg in South Africa in December 2017. Four Phogat sisters from Balali village of Haryana have won medals in wrestling. While Geeta, Ritu and Vinesh claimed gold in their weight class, Sangita clinched a silver medal in 55 kg class.

The Phogat sisters’ story began when Chandgi Ram (1937-2010), a famous Indian wrestler of India of yesteryear taught wrestling to his daughters.

The late Chandgi Ram was a freestyle wrestler from India. He won the gold medal in the 1970 Asian Games and represented India in the 1972 Summer Olympics. He was very active in the traditional Indian wrestling, where he had won all major titles, including Hind Kesari, Bharat Kesari, Bharat Bhim, Rustom-e-Hind and Maha Bharat Kesari.

However, he is more remembered for the introduction, acceptance and popularisation of women's wrestling in India. Some of his trainees went on to become prominent women's wrestling coaches of the country.

Chandgiram, born on 9 November 1937 in Sisai village of Hisar, Haryana, started as a teacher and then joined the Army. He took up wrestling at a comparatively older age of 21 and became national champion three years later in 1961. He later on served as Haryana's additional director of Sports.