Sauerkraut meets sevpuri. Seven German mallakhamb practitioners from Munich are in the city for an advanced training camp in the sport.

The seven girls along with three coaches will participate in a ten-day camp at Shivaji Park. Mallakhamb, which literally means yoga on a rope or pole, consists of practitioners exhibiting skills of flexibility, strength, balance, co-ordination and concentration using a rope or atop a pole.

Since 2004, Yoga Forum, Munich started holding mallakhamb workshops in Munich for German children during vacations, led by Uday V Deshpande, chief coach and honorary secretary of the Shree Samarth Vyayam Mandir. Mallakhamb practitioners travel overseas for camps, with Western students often coming into Samarth Vyayam Mandir on reciprocal visits to learn more about the sport, here. Deshpande says there is a great thirst amongst Westerners to learn mallakhamb and their dedication is tremendous. An Indo-German collaboration in contortion looks like a great way to begin 2010.