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Deepankar Sharda
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 9
Dalip Singh Rana, better known by his ring name The Great Khali, is a popular name among Indians when it comes to wrestling.
In Chandigarh to interact with the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) officials of 82nd battalion, near Punjab Civil Secretariat, the seven-foot tall wrestler encouraged young recruits to adopt sports and live a healthy life. He also invited them to join his academy in Jalandhar and promised for a comeback in WrestleMania.
The international wrestler has also defeated veteran wrestler ‘The Undertaker’ (Mark William Calaway) in 2012. Khali, who was undergoing treatment to recover from his injured right-leg, claimed that he was fit to hold the ring again. “I will surely defeat ‘The Undertaker’ after I get back to the WWE ring,” Khali promised to his fans in the battalion.
He also announced that his academies will offer free of cost training to Punjab Police personnel.
While interacting with The Tribune team, Khali announced that he would be opening an academy in the Amin village near Kurukshetra, along with international volleyball player Balwan Singh to groom young talent in Haryana. “The academy will provide the youngsters a platform and would help them to participate in various competitions. Besides conducting wrestling tournaments in various cities of India, the players will also participate in international events to gain more exposure,” he explained.
Dalip also claimed that the American WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) organisation had asked him to confirm the participation of three players every year in their championships.
When asked about the future of commercial wrestling in India, the wrestler maintained that there is no dearth of talent in India. “I have struggled hard to attain this fame. I used to sleep on floor and face racial abuse. I was an unknown face before I joined the WWE. The youth here needs proper guidance to be famous. Punjab is known for its past achievements in sports, especially wrestling, however, the name is diminishing because there is dearth of control,” Khali said.
On his stay in India, he said, “I will stay here for another two weeks before returning to the US. In the coming months, I am planning a long stay in India to supervise the functioning of the academies.”
WISE DECISION
The announcement of providing free-of-cost training to budding wrestlers of the Punjab Police is a great decision. This venture will surely boost the youngsters to adopt wrestling. — Balwinder Singh, commandant, 82nd PAP
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