The Wrestling Match:-

I grew up in Dehradun. My childhood days were so fun-filled. A playground just across the road to my house was a blessing. On this ground we used to play football and cricket in all the seasons, be it be the sunny and hot summers or the down pouring monsoons or the chilly winters. But one game I played for the first and last time was Wrestling.

I still remember that bone crushing experience that I had during the Wrestling match. These were the days when I was in Class 4th or 5th at KV I.T.B.P (School where I did my schooling).I was a lean and lanky fellow then. We used to have a Games and P.T teacher 'Giri Sir", who was very fond of outdoor games. He encouraged students to play and participate in outdoor activities. 

One Day Giri Sir wanted all the students from our Class to explore Wrestling. An earthen pit was hence dug and filled with sand. Giri Sir summoned all the boys to gather around the pit and then announced to have a Wrestling Match.

He called for volunteers for participating in the fight match. I remember "Kailash" was the boy to raise his hand. He was a broad shouldered heavy guy. He used to win all the friendly (or non friendly) fights that boys used to have.
Looking and sensing the fact that having a Wrestling match with Kailash would be suicidal, nobody else volunteered for the match. This annoyed Giri Sir, as probably he had already thought of the wrestling match in his mind.
Sensing that boys are not volunteering to wrestle with "Kailash", Giri Sir told that he would randomly pick anybody if no one volunteers. Still no one volunteered, as the fear of getting brutally massacred by Kailash was many fold more frightening that getting scolded or getting a beating from Giri Sir.

Just sometime back (in flashback) when Giri Sir had summoned all the boys for the Wrestling match, out of enthusiasm for watching a Wrestling match LIVE, I had rushed to the venue and for getting the best view of the match I was standing the innermost circle. Incidentally Giri Sir had seen the enthusiasm in me and mistook or misunderstood it to be my passion for Wrestling.

When no boy came out as a volunteer, Giri Sir looked at me in anticipation of a positive response. But the story running inside me was something different from what he was anticipating. Out of nowhere he called me out. As soon as he called me out, there was a burst of laughter among the boys, probably portraying a mixed feeling of relief and excitement at the same time. Relief as they were not chosen by Giri Sir, and Excitement to see a bout between "Kailash" and one of the lankiest fellow in the Class.

For me, the call of my name was a disastrous feeling. I had probably felt the sinking feeling for the first time. I did not want to fight against Kailash, but at the same time also did not want to be ridiculed by boys and girls for running away. 

Somehow I persuaded myself for the fight and then my eyes fell on "Kailash". He did full justice to his name and reminded me of Mount Kailash, so huge and gigantic, a solitary figure who stands out.
Kailash was a broad shouldered guy; he was twice as broad as I was. He was the heaviest and bulkiest guy among all of us. I think without any exaggeration I imagine he weighted around 60 Kgs when we were in the range of 20 to 30 Kgs. This guy was swift and very fond of Wrestling.

I looked at him thrice and thought of reconsidering my decision to wrestle with him. I was thinking that if I run away I could probably save my life. But when all of this was going through my mind, Giri Sir yelled FIGHT.
It seemed Kailash was just waiting to hear this word. As soon as he heard it, he ran towards me. I felt like a RHINO charging towards me. With a massive blow of a hand, he hit my chest. The blow was so powerful that by the sheer force of it I was lying on the ground. I was coughing heavily due to the blow on my chest. Somehow I made my ground. To avoid embarrassment, with all my effort somehow I stood up.
Now Kailash grabbed my neck in between his body and armpit and whirled me over him to the ground, which was sometimes referred to as Dhobi Pachhad or Dhobi Pattaka in Wrestling terms. I was gain grounded. Once I was grounded he swiftly stood up and with all his might he jumped on me, his complete body weight and might hit my Rib-Cage and my head. It was an instant black out for me for sometime even before I could sense how a 60 Kg body with all his force would mean.

When I regained consciousness, my friends were slapping me and putting water on my face. As I regained consciousness I could experience severe bone-crushing pain in my Rib-Cage and in my head. I was still lying down on the ground as I did not have the energy and might to get up and stand.
My friends helped me stand and carried me to the Class Room.

To my surprise Kailash and Giri Sir were very apologetic to me. Specifically Kailash was feeling very guilty as he had never wished to hurt me. He was just doing what is done in a Wrestling Match.
I asked Kailash to relax and requested Giri Sir to drop me home.

I was dropped home. Fortunately I had no fractures. Apparently my Rib-Cage and Head were strong enough to bear the force and weight of "Kailash".

The next one week was spent applying ointments to relieve the pain. The pain slowly and gradually soothed out. I was back to normal. Now I always remember, cherish and sometimes re-live the pain I was in after my first and last "WRESTLING MATCH".