Kethoser (Aniu) Kevichusa
I am not a fan of Naga wrestling; I am a fanatic. That is why I chose to attend the 23rd Naga Wrestling Tournament 2012 on February 28 & 29, skipping the much more important and momentous FNR Reconciliation Meeting Dimapur on February 29. As it turned out, however, this year’s tournament was not very exciting. In fact, most will concur that it was rather disappointing. But some of the things that transpired during the two-day meet merit pause for thought. Hence, this extensive reflection, amateurish as I am insofar as Naga wrestling goes.
In English, there is an epigram called Murphy’s Law. According to this Law, there are times when everything that can go wrong ends up going wrong. During this year’s tournament, Murphy’s Law seemed to be in operation. First, there was the second-day disruption in the form of the usual, uninvited and unwanted, visitor to every major Kohima event, namely, ‘Kohima rain’. (It HAD to rain on that day!) Of course, the organizers cannot be blamed for the rain. But I can never fully comprehend why our wrestling rings cannot be made ‘rain-proof’. Surely, in this twenty-first century, we Nagas too should be able to device or borrow some ‘technology’ to that end. I can also never fully understand why our Naga wrestling tournaments have now come to be stretched to two days. There really is a charm and wisdom to our traditional one-day Naga wrestling tournaments; the momentum and excitement continually grows with the day, culminating literally with the ‘last man standing’ at the end of the day. Breaking up the tournament into two days horribly breaks this momentum and build-up, and the finals on the second day can often be almost anti-climactic. People are also getting busier by the day, and can ill-afford to simply give two full days away from their work. Moreover, people often travel from afar to witness our wrestling tournaments, and, for many, it is not easy to find or afford accommodation in another village or town. (I also doubt that many locals will be keen on hosting spectator-guests, most of who are soddenly drunk by the end of the day!)
Perhaps a reason for having the tournament over two days is that we want two chief guests – one for the opening and one for the closing ceremony. In Nagaland, having chief guests for our events is largely an economic proposition. Or perhaps we want more time to sell our muodis or whatever else. But economic interests, important as they are, must serve, not dictate, sports events. It is often said in Europe that European football has sold its soul to television, with TV, because of the money it brings into the sport, dictating at what time what matches should be played, such that matches are sometimes played during the most unearthly of hours. Such a thing must not happen to Naga wrestling. The soul of Naga wrestling is far too precious to be sold to Mammon. If the reason for stretching the wrestling tournament is because it gets dark, then let us start our tournaments early in the morning, and in the evening … let there be light! If the reason has to do with the fact that very few spectators turn up on the second day of freestyle wrestling, then so be it. Let each sport and style get the attention and attendance it deserves! There is nothing more tortuous than watching freestyle wrestling, while waiting for Naga wrestling – all the while dreading the mighty Kohima rain. Everyone knows this to be true, and we might as well be honest about it.
But more than the rain, there were the two major controversies that disrupted this year’s tournament. The first had to do with the match between the Chakhesang champion Vevohu Swuro and the Angami wrestler Mhiesitsolie Kuotsu from Khonoma village. I think most observers will agree that the Angami Sports Association (ASA) had a legitimate case in their objection to the initial official decision of awarding the win to Vevohu. (To my eyes – and I am well aware that mine are ‘partial’ Khonoma Angami eyes! – Vevohu fell first, which the Angami referee perhaps failed to see. Referees are also, after all, human.) The final decision, after what seemed like eternity, for Vehohu and Mhiesitsolie to wrestle another round was, it seems to me, fair. (Whether it was technically right or wrong, according to the NWA rulebooks, I do not know.) The willingness of the Chakhesang Wrestling Association (CWA), the Angami Sports Association (ASA), and the two wrestlers, Vevohu and Mhiesitsolie, to agree to this final ruling, which superseded the initial official ruling, was also a true display of sportsmanship and courage. Each of them could have stuck to their entrenched positions. But they did not. All parties eventually, gracefully and commendably, agreed to a practical compromise that moved things forward.
The second controversy happened on the second day, in the semi-final match between the Angami champion Kezhalelie Keretsü and the Chakhesang wrestler Kuku-o Getsa. I will not go into the technicalities and minutiae of the case – because I do not know them fully. As it turned out, the controversy was long and tortuous. After the wringing and wrangling of the officials, and the groans and moans of the spectators, an official apology – delivered by the president of the Nagaland Wrestling Association (NWA), and translated evenly in the respective official tribal languages – was offered publicly. I must say that the apology, along with the careful wording of it, was a true demonstration of magnanimity and statesmanship on the part of the NWA. No one, certainly not me, could have predicted or foreseen such a resolution to the controversy. But the apology broke the stalemate and resolved the issue. Talk of ‘out of the box’ solutions! It was diplomatic finesse on the part of the NWA, which averted a controversy over a technicality from escalating into an all-out, serious (and potentially inter-tribal) conflict; a conflict that could have left everyone – winners, losers, officials, and spectators alike – with a sour, if not bitter, taste (not to mention a black eye here and a broken tooth there!). Again, the graciousness of the CWA in accepting the apology was as honourable and exemplary as the offer of the NWA apology was.
Some thoughts on the wrestlers themselves: first of all, the eventual champion, Kezhalelie Keretsü of Kohima village. Anyone familiar with Naga wrestling knows and recognizes his name and face. (He mayor may not be everyone’s favourite wrestling personality; but that is beside the point.) What is undeniably true is that, insofar as the wrestling goes, Kezhalelie is a champion wrestler and a deserving winner. Indeed, it could be said that he would have lifted the champion trophy a long time ago, had it not been for his arch-nemesis, that magical-genius-of-a-wrestler-once-in-a-lifetime-the-one-and-only-champion-of-champions Hüvesü Puro. (It was also fitting that Hüvesü was the referee who lifted aloft Kezhalelie’s winning hand after the final whistle.) Returning to the ring after a long hiatus, well past his prime at thirty-six, Kezhalelie’s hunt for that elusive label ‘Nagaland Wrestling Champion’ – the one label that separates the men from the boys, the greats from the good – is testament to his love of the game, and his insatiable desire for the title. Sneaking a peek into his private circle after the win, it was moving to see him and his family whispering a prayer of thanksgiving, and sharing a tear or two. Kezhalelie not only battled his younger and more agile opponents, but also age and time – and came out winning! He can now retire peacefully from wrestling and pursue his other dreams. At thirty-six, he is an old sportsman, ready to retire; but at thirty-six, he is still a young man, ready for life. In the ring, he has nothing left to prove – his dream is fulfilled, his destiny has been met. In life, other callings and destinies await – beckoning him to meet them at the end of a longer journey and a farther horizon.
What has been said of Kezhalelie cannot, unfortunately, be said of Surhonieyi Soho. In this year’s edition, Surhonieyi seemed but a shadow of his former intimidating self. It does look like he will go into the history books of Naga wrestling having won only (and I use ‘only’ here carefully) the ‘Naga Open Wrestling’ title (no mean feat, but not as prestigious as the present one) and the ‘Hornbill Open Wrestling’ title (a title so comparatively insignificant that even Korean wrestlers and Japanese tourists take a shot at it!). In other words, Surhonieyi, unlike his elder brother Hukhonieyi (that other colossus of a champion), will be named among the ‘truly good’, but not the ‘truly great’. But, who knows? Rokuosielie Khawakhrie, at thirty-one, also looks like moving into the sunset, perhaps to be remembered as a crowd favourite and a ‘giant-killer’, but without a major title in his CV. But again, who knows?
Among the current crop of younger wrestlers, there is a set of promising and exciting ones. Among the Chakhesangs, Kuku-o, at twenty-three, and as the son of a former Naga champion Vemurha, has shown that he has a champion’s genes. Whether or not that genetic makeup will be fully actualized, only time will tell. Zhokho Lala also did not reach the final merely riding on luck. Vevohu came in as Chakhesang champion; and, as anyone knows, you do not become a Chakhesang champion for nothing. I also thought I saw something in the seventeen-year-old Khruzoto Tetseo. (I wonder how many actually noticed him at all.)But what has become of the likes of Besüto and Keneta, I simply do not know; what will become of them, I know even less.
In recent years, the Angamis have produced better results, and currently show greater promise. (Again, don’t forget that I am a ‘biased’ Angami!) I see Mhiesitsolie as a potential champion – if, that is, his luck holds out, and he takes care of himself over the next four years or so. At twenty-six, he still has at least two more chances. Zasevikho Meyatsu and Kevithusi Kikhi can, on a good day, beat most opponents. The question is, can they beat ‘all opponents’? It is, after all, the answer to that question that determines a champion. Atoto Kire and Dosanyü Zhale also gave most people a serious run for their money. There is no doubt that they will be there for a while. The question is, will they be ‘up there’ ever? There is, for me, one special Angami wrestler who, for some reason, did not feature in this year’s tournament: the nineteen-year-old Mhasilhousie Nagi from Jotsoma village. This boy – yes, boy! – is extraordinary, and has a special ‘spark’ about him. And if I were a gambling man or a soothsayer, I would bet on him and foresee him becoming Nagaland champion at some point in the next decade. But, of course, I am neither a gambler nor a prophet. As for the Zeliang wrestlers, I shall respectfully withhold my comments.
Among the other Chakhesang and Angami wrestlers not mentioned above, some are young and agile, but not strong enough; some are big and strong, but will have to be more than just big and strong; most of the others have both skill and strength, but not enough of either. It seems to me that, usually (not always), to be ‘Nagaland Champion’, you need a perfect combination of skill and strength, luck and destiny. You also need that so-called ‘X-factor’.
The next edition of Naga wrestling, two years from now, will be exciting, for sure. Perhaps a former champion can suddenly return to the ring and take on the youngsters again, chest-to-chest and toe-to-toe. Vekriyi, even with his official garb on, looks as bullish as ever; Megosier is still young, handsome, skilful, and strong; and who would ever dare to underestimate Hüvesü, should he return even at 103! But it is unlikely that they will return. They have nothing to prove to anyone. But you never know. The urge to wrestle is, I suspect, chronic and incurable for many wrestlers. (If you do not believe me, ask Hukhonieyi and Kezhalelie!)
Naga wrestling has become big. And it is indeed to the credit of the NWA that the sport has become so popular and prestigious. But it is precisely because of this that the NWA and the wrestlers have to take care. As this year’s controversies have shown, the NWA and the affiliating associations will have to take much more care in terms of the organizing, and their rules and regulations, asI am sure they will. Small errors and irritations can easily lead to bigger conflicts, especially when so much is at stake. Wrestlers, especially champions, too have a responsibility. They are ‘celebrities’ of sorts, and with their popularity also come responsibilities – the responsibility especially of living dignified and exemplary lives. They must thus make the effort to be admirable both in and outside the ring.
It is often said that, traditionally, Naga wrestling matches were reconciliatory events. In Tenyidie, one’s wrestling opponent is called a ‘khrietho-u’, meaning ‘bosom friend’. Even the fact that wrestlers grapple by embracing and resting on each other’s bosom is beautifully symbolic. The 23rd edition of the Naga Wrestling Tournament has proven that this wrestling tradition of friendship, brotherhood, and reconciliation is indeed true. During the tournament, it really was forgiveness, compromise, and reconciliation that made the difference and showed the way. Despite Murphy’s Law, in the end, the sport of wrestling won and spirit of brotherhood prevailed. After the rain comes the rainbow. And if the rainbow of hope, promise, and reconciliation was on full display in the flying flags of Nagaland during the FNR meet on February 29 in Dimapur, it too, on that same day, broke through the clouds of dispute and the rains of disappointment at a certain place called Khuochiezie in Kohima.
