With three Mumbaikars gearing up to compete at the Muay Thai World Championship in Mexico, will Maharashtra finally support the sport?
Students at the Total Combat Fitness Academy at Dadar East. Pics/shadab khan
Until a few years ago, fitness coach Amit Lalwani who runs a Muay Thai academy at Marine Lines, would receive calls inquiring whether the place serves Thai cuisine. "People actually thought it was a restaurant," he laughs. In 2000, Lalwani set up the city's first Muay Thai academy after receiving a two-year-long training in Thailand. While the 40-year-old still gets enquiries, it's strictly to do with the sport.
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Often referred to as the "science of eight limbs", Muay Thai is a 16th century martial art that employs the feet, knees, fists and elbows to push opponents off balance. "I think people are beginning to take Muay Thai seriously. It has graduated from being just a form of fitness," Lalwani insists.
(From left) Savin Shetty, Nida Vanjara and Shravan Shetty, who will head to the World Championship Muay Thai 2018 in Mexico in August
An Olympic dream
Lalwani's words ring true when we drop by at Total Combat Fitness, another Muay Thai academy near Five Gardens, Dadar East. There are over 50 students, who are being trained in knee jabs and high kicks by instructor Balakrishna Shetty. Of these, three students are scheduled to head to Mexico in August for the World Championship Muay Thai 2018 that will see participation from 105 countries. "At the national level, one person is normally selected from each weight category from each state. It starts from 40 kg and goes up to 90 kg," said MI Naveed, assistant national coach for Maharashtra. According to him, winning or losing is secondary when it comes to making the cut. What they look for is technique. "Sometimes people who lose, also get selected if their technique and skill are on point because only that can get you to the top 5. We look for endurance, stamina, physical fitness and aggression," adds Naveed.
The team from Mumbai that represented Maharashtra at the Muay Thai Nationals 2017 organised by Muay Thai Indian National Federation (MINF) in December in Jorethang, Sikkim
While Maharashtra currently ranks third on the national level - Chattisgarh ranks first, it is fast catching up. At the Muay Thai Nationals 2017 organised by Muay Thai Indian National Federation (MINF) in December in Jorethang, Sikkim, which witnessed participation from 22 states, Maharashtra won two gold, four silver and two bronze medals. "We have seen progressive growth by maintaining our position in the top 3 in the last 10 years at the national level," says Shetty.
Last year, the sport was included in the Asian Beach Games, which comes under the Olympic Council of India. It has also been recognised by the International Olympic Committee, which means we could well compete in the Olympics of 2024.
A striking art
Shetty says till about five years ago, most people would sign up at the class just as a hobby. But, now the need to compete in championships is growing. "It's one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Thanks to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) premier leagues, martial arts has entered the living room. Many students were inspired to take it up after following it on television," he says.
Shubh Padaye is one such example. The 17-year-old from Mumbai will be going to the Muay Thai Youth Championship in Pataya. His sparring partner Pranay Shirke will be participating at the Macau Asian Championship this year. For Nida Vanjara, 24, the first female participant from Mumbai to make it to a world championship, it was the need to be independent that inspired her to leave a career in Bollywood to take up the sport. "I come from a society where women are treated as fragile; they aren't allowed to stay out late without their brother, father or husband.
I wanted to compete to let the world know that not every woman needs a man to protect her," she says. Two years ago, when she joined the academy, she had to spar with men as there were no female athletes. "I think that just worked to my advantage, because I was conditioned to fight tough contestants," says the Dockyard resident, who used to earlier train in taewondo. She currently works as a publicist in Bollywood. "I was offered two films. But, my mother asked me to make a choice because I can't become an actress with bruises on my face," she laughs.
Unlike Vanjara who has been training for over two years, hotelier Savin Shetty, owner of Sorrisao in BKC, took to the sport only eight months ago and has already participated at the national level and won a bronze. "It's an interesting sport in the sense that the thrill lies in the fact that the attack can come from anywhere. So, you have to be alert," he says.
Let's get serious
At the championship level, categories are classified weight-wise. The age limit for pro-level, however, is 40. At the world championship level, there's also a below 10 category. Lalwani who has over 100 students at his Khar academy, says he prefers to have students who are above 10. "You need not wait until you are 18, but I expect them to have a certain level of awareness to understand combat," he says.
While the rise in the number of people signing up for the sport is encouraging, Shetty feels that Muay Thai will only have a bright future when the state takes interest in it. He gives us the example of Chattisgarh that sponsors participants and has been actively providing infrastructure - dedicated Muay Thai academies - to promote it. "For the Sikkim event, we had to pay from our own pockets. It came to R30,000 each. We hope the state here takes note."
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