“It was a long journey for the Aha Neeloor team. It was the 2005-2006 season. We took three days to reach Delhi. I still remember how hard the journey was for many of the team members. We were there for a championship, not for a leisure trip. We had not eaten well, slept well or got much time to prepare. Still we returned to Kerala with the trophy beating a team of the Delhi police that featured gladiator-like players. It was the day we made the entire Kerala proud,” remembers Roy Neeloor, the undisputed champion of vadam vali or tug-of-war in Kerala.
Though vadam vali has always been one of the most popular games among Malayalis, it never created headlines unless it was Onam or Vishu season. People like Roy, who is fondly called Ichayan by his fans, tried their best to make it a more popular game but failed to bring the reputation it deserves. Now, filmmaker Bibin Paul Samuel is bringing the story of this underrated sport and its legends to the silver screen. The film has been titled Aaha, starring Indrajith Sukumaran.
“For centuries, tug-of-war has been celebrated for its positive aspects - team spirit, cooperation and unity. The game, in which two teams pull opposite ends of a rope, is internationally ever-present and is played by millions of people. Kerala has always been the major centre of this sport in the country, still it is underrated here with no media coverage. So, this is a tribute to the sport and its legendary players,” says Bibin.
Roy Neeloor
South-eastern districts like Idukki and Kottayam have produced the best tug-of-war players, and most of them were laymen such as farmers. “The way they lived made them suitable for the sport,” says Roy, who first stepped into the field at the age of 13 weighing 34kg.
“Before being named Aha Neeloor, the team was called ‘Aakkad Aha.’ I was fascinated by the sport and participated in it at a very young age and even won the title.” The journey that followed made him a star. “If tug-of-war in India had a Sachin Tendulkar, it would be Roy Ichayan,” says Tobit, his number one fan and writer of the movie Aaha. “At the first state championships held in Paravur in 1999, Neeloor team won the title. At some events, organisers would not reveal that Aha Neeloor was participating or else other teams would not participate because of the fear of losing. Their record of championships in 73 out of the 73 matches across the state in 2008 is still unmatched by any team,” adds Tobit.
In the late 2000s, the domination of southern districts in tug-of-war ended and districts like Malappuram, Thrissur, and Palakkad came on top. “We were the first few teams that went to northern districts and won the championships there. It also helped to popularise the sport over there,” says Roy, who is 45 years old now.
Malappuram had very strong teams like Edappal Friends Aha, (who took the name and same colour jersey due to respect for Aha Neeloor team), Kavitha Vengad and Kottakkal 7s. “They are the prominent teams at the moment and the way some teams transformed the game in Malabar is great,” says Tobit.
Among the names in Malabar, Benath of Aha Friends Edappal is the modern-day highlight reel. The six-foot five-inch man weighing 85 kg says he never wanted to be part of the sport, but it was all fate. “I was in the decoration field in Valanchery in Malappuram. I used to mock my friends who used to participate in tug-of-war. But they once put me in the team and I started to like it. For the past four years, I have been in it and I have been playing for Edappal for the last three seasons.” Benath says for each trial he has to travel more than 60 km.
Complete dedication and focus on diet are very important, says Benath who normally keeps his weight under 80 kg during the matches.
The way these athletes shape up their stamina and strength is tougher than one can imagine. Each competition has separate weight categories, so in a team of six, seven or sometimes five members, organisers will decide a weight category. One team, combined, should not weigh more than the number they decide. If one player or the team weighs more than the supposed number, teams take unimaginable measures to reduce it. Some of them include a strict diet including fasting the day before. Some teams go beyond that and sleep on the roof of their houses covered in tarpaulin sheets. The high level of heat would help them to sweat and reduce the ‘extra’ fat.
Earlier, one match used to last 15 to 20 minutes, but nowadays the duration is seven to 10 minutes. The game has also grown in to another level that NRI’s in foreign countries used to indulge in betting during the matches in Kerala. “Australia, England, Italy..., you name it” says Tobit.
At the moment, Kerala has more than a thousand registered teams and more than ten thousand active players are part of them. Still the sport is not getting the reception like cricket or football or even boat race. Arun Bheeshma, the main man of Bheeshma team from Perumbavoor, says one of the reasons why it is not popular is that the game is not ‘glamorous’ as others. “Most of the players come from a certain background and do ordinary jobs. You won’t find any software engineer pulling the tug or cheering. I am a post-graduate in Social Work and still find time to be part of my team. And the reason is my passion for it. Unlike other sports, you cannot force or introduce anyone to this. One has to find the love themselves. And once you are in it, you give everything. It is integrated with fun, competitiveness, and collective effort. I think another reason why the game is still not popular is that the youngsters have no patience. It takes a lot of mental strength.”
Prior to the movie, Bibin and the crew completed a series of documentaries, Vali Kathakal, that comprise interviews with the legends of the game. “I am sure it will help the common man to get a grip over the game. Then we will introduce more through the movie.”
“In vadam vali, you may be competing against another set of men. But it is more of proving your own mettle yourself. A hotly contested pull can last 20 minutes or more. It’s a lot more exciting than people think. It can inspire everyone. It is a war with in. It is a lot more accessible to normal people than other sports. All the equipment you need is a bit of flat ground and a rope and you are away. It should not be restricted to certain audience. At least not in the era of information technology. Let’s make it big, shall we?” concludes Roy.
