Munish Sood
Mandi
Arshdeep from Una emerged as the champion of the prestigious Shivratri Bharat Kesari title, defeating his rival in a gripping final bout at the three-day wrestling dangal held during the International Shivratri Fair. With remarkable strength and tactical brilliance, Arshdeep claimed the top honour along with a cash prize of ₹55,000, drawing loud applause from a packed arena. Naveen from Mandi secured the runner-up position and was awarded ₹45,000.
The annual wrestling championship, organised from February 20 to 22 as part of the fair celebrations, once again proved to be one of the most awaited sporting attractions. This year, the organisers introduced dedicated titles for Himachal Kumar (21 years category) and Mandi Kumar (17 years category), giving young wrestlers a competitive platform to showcase their talent. In total, competitions were conducted for four major titles.
Yasin Wins Himachal Kumar Title
In the 21-year category, Yasin from Chamba clinched the Himachal Kumar title and received ₹27,000 as prize money. Dheeraj Dhawal from Sundernagar finished as runner-up and was awarded ₹23,000.
Shaurya Veer Yadav Retains Mandi Kumar Crown
Continuing his dominance in the junior segment, Sarkaghat resident Shaurya Veer Yadav won the Mandi Kumar title for the second consecutive year. A student of Bal Vidyalaya Sundernagar, Shaurya was awarded ₹17,000 for his impressive performance. He is the son of internationally acclaimed wrestler and Parshuram Awardee Dr. Sanjay Yadav, making his victory even more significant.
Devesh Kumar from Padhar claimed the runner-up position in this category and received ₹13,000.
Grand Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony was graced by Rahul Nath, Deputy Inspector General (Central Range), Mandi, who attended as the chief guest and distributed prizes to the winners.
Sanjeev Sood, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Dharampur and Convener of the Wrestling Committee, informed that several renowned wrestlers, including Bharat Kesari-level athletes, were specially invited to participate in the dangal.
Co-Convener Dr. Sanjay Yadav stated that the primary objective of the event was to preserve the rich tradition of wrestling while encouraging emerging talent from Himachal Pradesh and other states.
The dangal concluded successfully amid enthusiastic cheers from thousands of spectators, reaffirming wrestling as a vibrant sporting highlight of the Shivratri festivities in Mandi.
