Bengaluru, India – For most of us, wrestling is a spectator sport—all action and adrenaline minus the sweat, toil, and heartbreak. ‘Grip, Hold, Pin,’ an exhibition currently underway at the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), offers a glimpse into the gritty reality of Indian wrestling. Curated by Aayati Sengupta, the exhibition features photographs by Indrajit Khambe and Prarthna Singh, alongside paintings, textile labels, and traditional training equipment such as clubs and weights. The title, according to Aayati, is not only sporting jargon but also a nod to attempts by visual artists to pin down a fleeting moment.
Spanning the 19th to the 21st century, the exhibition ushers visitors in with an akhara gate, an insular space that both beckons and bars entry. Indrajit Khambe began working on his series relating to the life of Indian wrestlers in 2012. He returned to Kolhapur to reshoot with a new perspective, leaving behind the “exotic” and capturing the rawness of their lives—moments of defeat, tiredness, and solitary contemplation. He explained how the life of a wrestler requires tremendous discipline, with days beginning at 4am to prepare the pit and ending past 7pm. Wrestlers are required to be strictly celibate, keeping away from all women except their mothers and sisters.
Prarthna Singh, who works with women-centric stories of empowerment, captured women wrestlers in her images. She noted that women have been inculcated into wrestling at the national level quite recently, many coming from agrarian and rural families where support for their practice is not always abundant. “Women as nurturers and protectors bring an energy with them, whether they are in a wrestling camp or at a protest,” she said, adding that these images bring to the fore conversations around women’s bodies and the dichotomy between nationalism, sport, and gender.
The exhibition also highlights the evolution of the sport, with Sakshi Malik’s 2016 Olympic bronze paving the way for more women to take up wrestling. Many in rural India do not see a future in mat wrestling, while regular mud wrestling competitions provide a source of income. ‘Grip, Hold, Pin’ will be on display at MAP till November 1, 2026, offering a compelling look at the resilience and tradition of Indian wrestling.
