Wrestler Phool Singh Vs Fuloo,the wood cutter ( sketch of ) … f

(Note- In this series with sub heading ” sketch of,” each contribution of written contents with a separate main heading, is supposed to be complete in itself. Though, if read one after another or randomly, then it would give an impression of a long story strung into a thread. This effort is given to make reader enjoy every part by itself.)

The narration of this wrestling event is one of the most talked incidence of my childhood time. This incidence teaches us, ” A man should not be proud of his strength and skill.” The time of occurrence of incidence is round about the year of 1970 of the last century.  Hence, reader is suggested to imagine the social ambiance of that time’s rigid  Indian social system. At that time, I was a student of basic primary school of my village.

                                Incidence of weird kind

First of all, an introduction is needed to describe about this story. At that period of time our Indian social system was basically agricultural based economy. More than 85% of population inhabited in rural areas. In the name of common recreation, merely Radio-set were in vogue. Mainly, cine songs, radio dramas and news bulletins were relayed on the radio-set. But, to own a radio-set was a costly adventure and scarcely some well-off families only could afford this facility.

Besides, other local sources of recreation were, occasions of some wedding in the village or some religious gatherings at some local temple or at the place of some specific person, who  could afford to arrange such sort of program. The big event of entertainment in my hinterland village was a “fair,” that happened to get arranged twice in a year. This fair held around an ancient temple, that located about two miles away from my village.

This temple appertained to the Lord Siva and called as “Shivalaya – The abode of Lord Shiva. The fair regularly held on the occasion of “Shivaratri,” ( in Hindu mythology, this is the day when Lord Shiva married to his wife Parvati and executed his cosmic dance Tandava.) Another fair held on the occasion of the birth day of Lord Krishna, at the Janmashtmi. The time of occurring of  “Shivaratri” is when wintry season ebbing. Whilst the “Janmashtmi” is the time when Monsoon season is on its full swing.

                                    The main attraction

This fair  used to gather a good deal of crowd of visitors from all around the near and far located villages. People participated with great enthusiasm in this long awaited fare. The main attraction of this fair were, customary Wrestling contest, that held as an inseparable part of the fair each year. The venue of this contest was permanently fixed near a major seasonal river, that happened to run adjacent to the venue. The known, unknown, popular and renown wrestlers of local standing or from other districts used to visit the fare to display their mettle here.

The winner wrestlers were awarded with hard cash by the  wrestling committee as well as by public in general. Not only this, this helped the winning wrestlers get floated their renown. People of rural areas, in common had an inclination to the hobby of wrestling watching, akin to as today, we watch the W W F( World wrestling federation) shows. It seems this game of physical strength has been most liked game from the time immemorial. In general, contesting wrestlers enjoyed the status of “hero” at that time.

                                            The star attraction

The star attraction of this event of wrestling for many years had been a renowned wrestler of the region. His name was Master Phool Singh. Apart from having a predilection for wrestling hobby, he was also a teacher in a  government Junior High school. By caste he was a Khsatriya or Thakur Sahib ( a class of warrior of upper caste.) In our India, the occupation of a teacher too has always been rewarded with high respect, and in vernacular or otherwise also been referred as as ” Master.” This custom made his name being popular as “Master Phool Singh’ as well.

Along with his his own teaching vocation, he also earned a name for his maintaining his own personal Akhaada (arena). This arena, he ran at his distant located village, where a good number of youths from different corners gathered and learnt from him, the tricks of wrestling. As such being a coach, he but natural earned a Gurudom amidst his students. As a person, he had a brilliant track record of winner as a wrestler. Hardly he lost any contest, in any  seasonal event in the region.

                            The off the track incidence

The Incidence, I am talking of, occurred in the month of February on the occasion of fare of Shivaratri. In that mega event, wrestler Master Phool singh defeated each and every wrestler who happened to appear there for contest. The laud applaud he won of the big local crowd. It was but natural, the mega victory generated a feeling of haughtiness inside him. Overwhelmed by this feeling, he openly threw a defiance, in the conventional manner of  victor by taking rounds of arena. In this challenge, he roared, “Is there present  in person, a son of his real biological father and who suckled the milk of the mother to come here in the wring and defeat me?

                                        An amusing twist

This defiance sent a pin drop silence. But the circumstances shaped amusingly after this challenge, is the gist of this story. As it was supposed, a good number of people from my own village had there presence as audience. The defiance was so frivolous and enough to hurt their ego. By chance, the traditional “wood cutter” of the village too was a part of the audience of the village. Here some description is needed about this wood cutter.

Our this man, who worked and toiled as a wood cutter, coincidentally too bore the same name Phool singh originally. But his being a son of the “cobbler” of the village community, never he was rewarded to be called as Phool Singh. Rather, as it was customary in the old time, he was addressed by his distorted name as “Fulloo.” He was a young man about twenty five years old. Whole through in his life, his sole occupation had been to fall the tree with his heavy axe and then cut that into logs, further again to split the log into tiny pieces, so that could be used as fuel wood.

Round the year, either he remained busy in cutting the trees and making small pieces of woods of the clients in the village. If not engaged as such, then in rest of the time got entrusted with the same job as a laborer, with some forest contractor in the same trade. This vocational, toilsome  incessant labor had transformed his body like a body builder.

                      The physical strength of wood cutter

As far as, his physical strength was concerned, he could lift a heavy log like a toy with a slight jerk and throw it at a distance comfortably. The entire village knew his this latent ability. Some elderly people offended by the challenge of Phool singh wrestler, at once conceived a plan. They called our this wood cutter in a seclusion and calmly gave him a provocative suggestion, ” Look Son! Now the dignity of the village has been challenged by this Master Wrestler. It’s now the question of the honor of the village and we know, you have got the mettle to protect the name of the village.”

Fulloo, who was a wood cutter and the son of a “cobbler,” who belonged to the an untouchable class, the lowest rung of the social ladder of Hindu community, got perplexed by the suggestion. How could a son of a cobbler dare to accept the challenge from an upper caste. Besides, never in his life he had participated in any wrestling event. He knew nothing about the A B C D of the wrestling.

                                         Counselling

Now, elder people made him understand, ” at the worst, You can loose the contest only! Then why you are afraid of anything? You have to understand one thing only, the man before you is a log of wood, don’t forget it. After that you have to apply your strong hand grip. With that grip, either you have to lift him up, like a log and throw him away or thump him down on the ground and ride on his chest and rub him…. rub him.. rub… again, as you often watch wrestlers doing in general.”

Not only this, people of the village collected a sum of Rupee ten and gave him as an advance reward. This amount was a handsome amount in that time. When as a laborer one hardly could earn  Rupee two in a day, he was paid his five days income. The real fact was, this temptation of rupee ten prompted Fuooo wood cutter to say “Yes” for contest. But an another issue surfaced up. He needed a loin cloth to wrap around, as wrestlers often gird.

                             Another important issue

But, offended badly by the challenge of Master Phool Singh’s challenge, an elderly upper caste man, gave him his own turban cloth for the purpose. The clothe were wrapped as a loin cloth and the same elderly man said to him,” Look Sirrah! I have given you my “head cloth,” that you wrapped round your loin. Now the honor of my “head gear” too is on the stake and you are morally bound to protect that.”

Finally, Fuloo the wood cutter stepped inside the wrestling ring. His dark complexioned naked body  shined with muscular shape, his muscles flexed on slight movement. Master wrestler as per custom, asked him sarcastically,” of which wrestling arena you belong to?” The response was delivered by the elderly man of the village,  from the audience,” Thakur Sahib, he belongs to the arena of our village. Be careful in contest, he by cast is a cobbler!”

Master wrestler,  was an Upper caste, he at once refuted to contest with an untouchable, ” I don’t wrestle with lower caste.” From this side, elderly man roared, “If you are a real son of your father, take back your challenge!”  Again a pin drop silence saturated with tension rested on the entire crowd. Master wrestler got trapped in an intricate situation. Neither he could swallow it nor vomit it. But his conceit too prompted him, not to step back. In fact, there existed no any wrestling school or arena in our village, he knew it well. He was dead sure, this novice he could beat easily.

                           The sensational drama began

The truth was, even people from our village side, too were ascertained that our wood cutter was doomed to lose the combat. They just enjoyed the moments only by presenting a fake wrestler before the Master wrestler. Fullo, had worked as a hard laborer whole through his life and transformed his body like a rock-stone. He, with the commencement of wrestling, pounced upon the Master wrestler with an alacrity of a tiger. He applied his whole might in taking him into grip and in seconds he lifted him up  and with a big thud, thumped him down. Master wrestler lied their supine on his back and Fullo resting on his chest rubbing him…. rubbing him …..

The cheerful din of audience roared the air. That kind of acclamation never heard in the future. This was an utmost insulting and humiliating defeat of life time, for a renowned wrestler of the region. No sooner, Master got released from the grip of Fullo wood cutter, at once, naked bodies he made a run from the spot, as if, saw a ghost. He chose  the way to escape, the bank of the river side, a deserted path.  There, flabbergasted he ran continuously about fifteen miles in humiliation,  until reached his home.

The end of the story is, on reaching home, Master wrestler locked himself in a room. For months to come, he remained in that seclusion. After that, he was never shown up in any wrestling contest, even he closed his wrestling school forever. Penned by — Vinay Pharasi …..