Summary: Wrestling with the Phogats
Wrestling with the Phogats is a biographical account of the achievements of the Phogat sisters.
Their father, Mahavir Singh Phogat, was a wrestler from Balali, a village in Haryana. He had
dreams of being an international wrestler, but when they did not come true, he settled down to
a government job in the village. He hoped his sons would fulfil his dreams. When a daughter
was born to him in 1988, Mahavir was not disappointed. He loved her as much as he would
have loved a boy.
Mahavir had four daughters—Geeta, Babita, Sangita and Ritu. He also adopted his brother’s
two girls, Vinesh and Priyanka. All six sisters grew up to be international wrestlers.
Mahavir was inspired to train his girls in wrestling by his master, Chandgi Ram, the first wrestler
in India to encourage women in the sport. Geeta and Babita started training when they were
ten and eight respectively. They had a difficult and rigorous training schedule and Mahavir was
very strict as a coach. The girls hated it initially but grew to love the sport.
The village was against the girls practising to be wrestlers. They thought Mahavir was
destroying the village when he started training the boys along with the girls. The villagers
thought the girls would become like boys; that their faces would get messed up and no one
would marry them. However, the Phogats did not give up in the face of this opposition.
The attitude of the village changed when Geeta won India’s first Commonwealth gold in
women’s wrestling. They now considered the Phogat family heroes. Geeta went on to win a
bronze medal at the 2012 World Championship. She was also the first Indian woman to qualify
for wrestling at the Olympics.
The other Phogat sisters followed in her footsteps. Babita won a silver at the 2010
Commonwealth Games and a gold at the 2014 Games, in which Vinesh too won a gold. Ritu and
Sangita too were wrestling champions.
The Phogat sisters changed how women’s wrestling was viewed in India. Many more women
started taking up the sport after the success of the Phogat sisters.
Villagers who once thought Mahavir a disgrace, now asked him to train their daughters.
Haryana, which once had trust the one wrestling gym for women, now had more than fifty.
Balali and Haryana are very different places, thanks to the Phogat family.
Wrestling with the Phogats is an inspiring story about women in sports. In a field that is largely
dominated by men, the achievements of the Phogat sisters are a huge leap forward for women
in India. The story of the Phogat sisters is helping to slowly change the country’s old-fashioned
attitudes towards women. It is a story that tells us that women and men are equal and that
together they can achieve great heights.
Comprehension
A. 1. However, he had hopes for the sons that would be born to him. They would fulfil his dream.
2. Chandgi Ram, another wrestler from Haryana, was the first pahalwan in the country to encourage and train women in the sport.
3. Their training schedule was rigorous. He woke them up at five in the morning and set them to running around the fields. “While other children our age would sleep cosily in their beds, we would be up before sunrise,” says Geeta. “Sleeping for even ten minutes more was a luxury.”
4. World Championship—yet another first for an Indian woman—and then qualifying for the 2012
London Olympics. Her sisters followed in her footsteps and were not far behind. Babita won a silver
medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and a gold medal in the 2014 Games, in which Vinesh too
won a gold medal. Ritu became a national champion and Sangita won many international medals in
junior-level tournaments.
5. The success of the Phogat sisters encouraged many more women to take up wrestling, including
Sakshi Malik, who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
B. 1. a. Mahavir Singh Phogat said these words.
b. This shows that Mahavir believes in the equality of men and women. He is a fair and just man.
c. Mahavir supported his words with actions by training his daughters to become wrestlers,
proving that women are not inferior to men.
2. a. Babita Phogat said these words.
b. Her training was a great adventure.
c. Babita and her sister did not always think their training an adventure. They hated it initially and
grew to love it.
3. a. Mahavir’s words express pride and joy.
b. Many more women are able to take wrestling in Balali and Haryana. Before, there was just the
one gym in Balali, now there are more than fifty in Haryana. Many families encourage their girls
to take up wrestling and request Mahavir to train them.
c. The Phogat sisters brought about this change by winning international tournaments and
bringing pride to their family and village. They showed that women could play these sports and
play them well.
C. 1. The villagers were against the girls taking up wrestling because wrestling was not considered
‘womanly’; it was a man’s game. The villagers thought that wrestling would make the girls look like
boys and that their faces would get so messed up that nobody would want to marry them. They
thought what the Phogat sisters were doing was shameful.
2. Mahavir was a determined man. He had decided that his daughters would be wrestling champions
and he set about making that happen. He worked them very hard. He made them get up before
the sun rose and made them run around the fields and exercise. Babita and Geeta did not like
this rigorous training initially but they grew to love it. It made them feel strong and special.
Mahavir even built his daughters an akhada to practise in. He did not give up despite the villagers’
disapproval. He was tough and trained his daughters to win. All six of his daughters are champions.
Geeta was the first Indian woman to qualify for the wrestling event at the Olympics. Mahavir was
tough but successful.
D. 1. When we face opponents on a field, we must prepare as well as we can and give it our best shot.
We must never give up no matter what the result. We must try and overcome our obstacles and
defeat our opponents with all our determination and aggression. But at the same time, we must
play fair and square, regardless of how our opponents play.
2. The Phogat family faced a lot of opposition from their village when the sisters decided to become
wrestlers. The villagers spoke ill of them, complained to them and warned them of the bad things
that would happen if the girls continued to play. But the Phogat family had made up their mind.
They were not going to let anyone stop them from becoming champion wrestlers.
E. 2. Girls are not the only ones who have feelings; boys get hurt too and they also have every right to
cry. Crying is not a bad thing and it is definitely not only for girls.
3. Girls like to run around and play as much as boys. We must encourage them to play more. So what
if Nisha becomes dark? The colour of a person’s skin is not important.
4. Sneezing is a natural body function. Sneezing is not male or female—everyone sneezes. Just
because Fatima is a girl, doesn’t mean there should be different rules for how she should sneeze.
Being ladylike is not important in today’s day and age—we must all be equal.
Grammar
A. 2. was having 3. have been writing 4. have eaten 5. had left
6. had been practising 7. had planned
B. 2. going to 3. am going to 4. will 5. will 6. are going to
Vocabulary
1. ice-cold 2. soft-spoken 3. three-hour 4. tongue-tied 5. middle-aged
Listening Text:
Two friends are having a debate on whether participation during Sports Day should be
compulsory. After you listen to the debate, work in pairs and write down the arguments for and
against the topic in your book.
A: Only four more days to go for Sports Day. Yay!
B: Oh, I hate Sports Day. I wish participation wasn’t compulsory.
A: But why? Don’t you think the competitions are exciting? They push us to be the best we can.
B: But there is so much pressure on us to win. This kind of competition isn’t healthy. It makes us fight
with each other and those who lose feel terrible.
A: But that’s what competition is about. It teaches you how to handle failure in life. We can’t always
win.
B: But we should get to choose what to compete in. I would do so much better in an essay-writing
competition than in a race. But there’s no choice during Sports Day.
A: But sports are good for health. Shouldn’t everyone compulsorily take part?
B: See, we should have some form of physical activity. But why should it be a competition? Sports
should be about having fun and being healthy, not winning!
A: Come one, in life we will always be forced to compete in something, whether we like it or not.
When we’re working, for example, I don’t think competition cannot be avoided. Sports Day will be
good training for the future.
B: (longingly) Oh, but the future is far away. I wish we could go to sleep and wake up to find that
Sports Day is over.
A: (laughs) Dream on.
Answers:
FOR
● Competitions are exciting. They force us to be the best that we can.
● They teach us to handle failure
● Sports are good for health
● Competitions cannot be avoided. Sports Day is good training for the future.
AGAINST
● Competitions create too much pressure which isn’t healthy. It makes people fight with each other
and those who lose feel terrible.
● Not everyone would do well in a sports competition. There should be a choice about what
competitions you take part in.
● Sports should be about fun and being healthy, not competition.
WRESTLING WITH THE PHOGATS
A. Answer in brief.
1. What did Mahavir Phogat dream for his daughter Geeta?
Ans: Mahavir was not disappointed when a daughter was born to him. He had hopes that one day
she would make him proud by fulfilling his dream of taking part in international competitions. His
dreams did come true later as his daughter Geeta grew up to be a female wrestler of international
fame.
2. How did Mahavir Phogat train his daughters?
Ans: Mahavir was a strict and demanding coach. He gave rigorous training to his daughters who
had to wake up very early in the morning and run around the fields. He would not let them sleep
even for a few minutes more than required. Their training equalled that given to boys and they
were never allowed to compromise on their studies.
B. Answer in detail.
1. How did Chandgi Ram influence Mahavir?
Ans: At a time when wrestling was dominated by men in India, Chandgi Ram, a wrestler from
Haryana, chose to encourage women and train them in the sport. Mahavir Singh Phogat, who was
his former student, was influenced by this and wanted his own daughters to take up the sport and
reach high levels. He stood against all opposition from the villagers who were conservative and
were totally against women taking up wrestling which was meant exclusively for men till then.
2. Bring out the contrast in the attitude of the villagers before and after the commonwealth games.
Ans: Mahavir Singh Phogat was very keen to make all his daughters excel in the sport of
wrestling. He faced severe opposition from the villagers who thought that the family had gone
mad. They said it was a shame for the village to allow girls to wrestle on par with the boys of the
village. They thought the girls would become ugly and it would be difficult to get them married.
Their views totally changed when Geeta won India’s first gold in the Commonwealth games. The
entire village got together to celebrate the victory the Phogat girl had brought for the village.
There was celebration for ten days. The Phogat family was no longer a shame for the village,
instead every villager was proud to be a part of the village where the Phogat family lived.
C. Read the lines and answer the questions.
1. But they grew to love the life of a wrestler.
a. Who are ‘they’ in the above line?
b. Why were they reluctant earlier?
c. What changed their opinion about wrestling?
Ans: a. ‘They ‘in the above lines refers to the Phogat sisters.
b. The gruelling training they had to undergo was tiring for them and so they were
reluctant initially.
c. After a while they started liking the rigorous training and the exhaustion after a hard
day’s training was satisfying for them.
2. They made their disapproval clear to the Phogats.
a. Who disapproved of the Phogats?
b. What had the Phogats done?
c. Did the Phogats relent?
Ans: a. The villagers were against the Phogats.
b. The Phogat girls were getting trained in wrestling, much against the approval of the
villagers.
c. No, the Phogats did not succumb to the pressure. Though stressful, they continued with
their training.
D. Answer in brief. (Think and answer)
1. What do you consider more important for success in your life—sports or academics?
Free response Suggested Ans: I feel both are equally important. Academics happen
automatically but to excel in sports one needs to take that extra effort. If enough encouragement
is given for sports in schools and colleges, one can do well in both sports and academics and later
pursue what one is good at. Sports also teaches one to be discipilined and to practice fair play in
all dealings.
2. How did the Phogat sisters prove to be the role models for many women wrestling aspirants in India?
Ans: The Phogat sisters made India proud by winning many medals in the sport of wrestling. This
was a turning point for many women who loved the sport but were hesitant to take it up due to
the social stigma against women wrestlers. The success of the Phogat sisters has totally changed
people’s perspective about women wrestlers now.
E. Answer in detail. (Think and answer)
There are fewer women sports persons in India compared to men. Do you agree with this? Give reasons.
Free respose Suggested Ans: I do not agree with the above statement. Now I feel there are more
women participating in various sports in India. They even excel in sports which were exclusive
to men. Women are making India proud by winning medals that seemed far-fetched for them till
recently. Not only are there more Indian women in sports, they are also doing better than many men
and making the nation proud. It is a pity that many do not come to know of the success stories of
many women sports persons unless shown in a film or a documentary.
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