Muristek
Vinayak Padmadeo
It's very unusual to see a top Indian athlete without a smartphone. The bigger the athlete, the glitzier the gadget, that's the rule. And once they get their hands on the best piece that money can buy, they open their private life to the world.
From two-time Olympics medallist Sushil Kumar, now in jail on murder charges, to Yogeshwar Dutt, now in active politics, to Bajrang Punia, who won a bronze in the Tokyo Olympics last year, top wrestling stars glitter on social media.
However, Ravi Dahiya, silver medallist at last year's Tokyo Olympics, is the exact opposite of the stereotype. 'No frills' is his mantra. Though he is on several social media platforms, he is not very active, and his posts are almost always related to his training, apart from wishing Indians on festivals.
His outlook towards training stints abroad or working with foreign coaches is equally laidback. He is happy to spar with training partners at the Chhatrasal Stadium and work under Indian coaches, including Arun Kumar, who has been a mentor to him ever since he started out.
"Although I'm on a few of them, I do not get this social media at all," says the 24-year-old Dahiya.
From Nahri village in Haryana's Sonipat district, Dahiya is a quiet and reserved person, and that explains his attitude. It is also a self-preservation tactic: He doesn't want to be caught in any controversy as he's completely focused on training.
Since his power-packed show at the 2019 World Championships — in which he defeated European champion Arsen Harutyunyan and 2017 world champion Yuki Takahashi — the Nahri boy has been touted as heir apparent to Punia's throne. He won a bronze then, following it with a silver at the Olympics. Zaur Uguev, who had beaten him at the Worlds, was again the nemesis, dashing India's hopes of a first-ever Olympics wrestling gold.
Dahiya's silver in Tokyo thrust him into the limelight. His response? Switch off his phone!
"I had to switch it off. I was getting congratulatory text messages and calls, so after a few days I switched it off. I use it when I need it," Dahiya explains.
Flood of invites
The Tokyo show was followed by a flood of invitations — from government felicitations to ceremonies and even wedding ceremonies! He got tired of it all, and his training was taking a toll, too.
"We cannot be rude to people. So it was OK at the start but I had to put a stop to all of this as some of the functions were getting over late and it was starting to affect my training schedule," Dahiya says.
"Now I only get a few invites but even if you refuse they give you options: 'Is din nahi aa sakte to doosre ya teesre din aa jao (If you can't come on this day, do come the next day or the day after that). How can you counter something like that?" Dahiya laughs, explaining his quandary.
Dahiya is among the select few Indian elite athletes who have never pressured the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) or Sports Authority of India to demand something regarding training. No last-minute tantrums. In fact, before the Tokyo Games, Russia's Kamal Malikov was assigned to him as coach by WFI. Dahiya simply accepted the decision that had already been taken on his behalf.
"There is no point in going to foreign countries if you are not serious. What's the need... It's not as if I want to visit a country for the first time. I've visited many countries already," he explains.
"I have good training partners at Chhatrasal. It is beneficial for me and them. But I will tell you this — I wanted to go out of the country for some time just to get away from the invites!" Dahiya says, shaking his head.
'Lazy' grappler
Having said that, he feels there's an advantage in training abroad. He confesses it's very difficult for him to get up early in the morning. "The thing is, I am lazy. Waking up early is very hard. I have been waking up at 4:30 am since 2007. Trust me, I do not want to wake up this early but we have to do it, so I do it. I'm still late sometimes," he says.
"It's easier when we are abroad as training generally starts after 10 am," he adds.
He says this just after a gruelling two-hour morning session that started with three practice bouts lasting over 10 minutes each. This was followed by over 400 squats, 150 side-to-side strengthening exercises and over 300 push-ups. And this, according to his physio Dr Munesh Kumar, constituted a lean day. Today, Saturday, is the day when he can put his mind and legs to temporary rest.
The normal count is a third higher, says Dr Kumar.
"Sunday is the best training day. The first half I usually rest. No gym or any exercise. It is a good day," Dahiya says.
Fifteen years of labour, with a relatively light weekend, have made him an all-time great of Indian wrestling. As he chases more glory, he's determined to stick to the tried and tested methods. That does make sense.