22 August,2011 06:53 AM IST | | Chetna Sadadekar
Chetna Yerunkar has been huffing and puffing for the last 20 days as part of a group of female athletes, who have formed a Dahi Handi group; she relives her experiences in the run-up to the final performance today
It all started a month ago, when I decided to give my rusting muscles some much-needed exercise, and joined Sfurti Seva Mandal, a group of athletes training for the Dahi Handi festival. I found myself sweating it out at a practice session, under the watchful eye of Raja Shivtarkar, a local kabaddi coach. My teammates, 50 professional female Kabaddi players, exhibited a level of discipline and diligence that I have never seen before. I had only 21 days to learn the tricks of the trade
No pain, no gain: The workouts really drained me on the first day
Day 1
The session continued from 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm. It was the ultimate test of endurance as my trainer took me through a rigorous drill of leg and shoulder exercises. It's been two years since I last hit the gym, and it was definitely showing. A 20-minute run had me crying out in agony and gasping for breath. Every step of the way back home, I was grimacing with agony. I realised that my blood, sweat and tears would line the way to the dahi handi.
Day 2
There was more exertion in store for me. While my teammates ran 20 laps around a field without so much as grunting, I gave up after 10. The dreaded laps were followed by a skipping exercise, taking me back to my schooldays, when running and performing a drill were, miraculously, sources of great joy.
Heads up: Maintaining my balance while another girl stood on my
shoulders was the toughest task
The most unforgettable experience was learning to carry another person on my shoulders. Things turned topsy-turvy, and chaos reigned: predictably, I tumbled down like an inveterate Jill. My shaking shoulders and wobbly legs were no strong foundation for another, and the girls who had been asked to stand atop me soon lost balance and took a fall. The waiting hands of our trainer saved the day.u00a0
On top of the world: After practicing at the lower rung of the
pyramid, I finally mustered the courage to climb my way to the top
Day 5
After warm up and stretching, I was surreptitiously glancing at my watch at 8:15 pm, trying to ignore the niggling aches and pains. I managed 15 laps around the field, surprising myself. While I was giving myself an imaginary pat on the back, they threw another googly in my direction, asking me to jump about like a frog. I still shudder when I remember the utter agony that followed.u00a0
Day 9
I walked around with a teammate balanced on my head, manage to carry off the feat without claiming a life in the process.
Day 11
In what I will remember as my turning point in the stint, I managed to balance a girl on my shoulders, while standing stationary. But standing on the same girl's shoulders proved to be the most frightening experience. I managed to teeter for a few seconds, before the trainer instructed me to descend.
Day 13
We planned the shape of the pyramid's five-layer formation. Four girls would form the base, two the second level, and one girl each would man the third and fourth levels. The formation would then be scaled by a small girl, who would attempt to break the handi. Noticing that I was robust, the trainer chose me to form the base. A sudden mis-step caught us all unawares, and the pyramid came crashing down, resulting in twisted ankles and sore, aching arms.
Day 20
It was the last day of practice, and the penultimate day in the run up to Gokul Ashtami. A mock handi-breaking session, termed Chor Handi, had been organised by Thane Dahi Handi mandal. Much to our relief we pulled off our athletic feat without a glitch. As we danced at the end of the event, rejoicing over our success, I felt a pang of wistfulness, realising that while these girls would soon resume their Kabaddi training, I would be away on assignment, sniffing out another news story.
