Aamir Khan’s ‘Dangal’ coach fights to save crumbling Indore akhada as wrestlers battle leaking roof, sewage

Wrestlers training at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre at Indore’s Malhar Ashram have been forced to clear rainwater from the facility before practice, as deteriorating infrastructure threatens training at the nearly two-decade-old centre.

The facility, where more than 80 wrestlers train, has been grappling with a leaking roof, damaged walls, poor toilets and the absence of changing rooms. Heavy rains this monsoon worsened conditions, with water collecting inside the akhada and disrupting training.

At the centre of efforts to keep the facility running is Arjuna Award-winning wrestling coach Kripa Shankar Bishnoi, who trained actor Aamir Khan for his role as Mahavir Phogat in the 2016 film Dangal. Bishnoi also trained the actors who played Phogat’s daughters in the film.


The coach is now trying to prevent young wrestlers from abandoning the centre as its infrastructure continues to deteriorate.

“The wrestlers have to clear the puddles that form inside. The situation was particularly worse this year, making it almost impossible for my wrestlers to train properly,” Bishnoi told TOI.

The SAI centre has operated from Malhar Ashram since 2008 and provides free wrestling coaching. However, repairs to the building have not kept pace with its deterioration. The roof has developed increasingly severe leaks, plaster is coming off the walls and training equipment is at risk of water damage during heavy rainfall.

Conditions became particularly difficult this monsoon when prolonged rainfall left the akhada unusable on some days.

Officials at the centre subsequently approached the principal of the neighbouring Sandipani Govt Malhar Ashram School for assistance. The school allowed the wrestlers to temporarily use its unused old boys’ association hall for around a month.

The problems extend beyond the training area. The SAI facility does not have a changing room, while its existing toilets are in poor condition. Women wrestlers have been particularly affected and have had to use nearby public toilets or seek access to facilities in neighbouring homes.

A toilet constructed with assistance from local MLA Golu Shukla has not yet become operational.

“The centre was originally established as a boarding-cum-wrestling facility but later turned into a day-boarding centre. It is currently functioning without an official SAI coach,” said Bishnoi, who also trained Aamir’s reel daughters, playing the Phogat sisters, in Dangal.

The centre has been functioning without an official coach since it was established 18 years ago, with Bishnoi continuing to train aspiring wrestlers despite the lack of basic infrastructure and resources.

The problems have also spread beyond the building itself. According to Bishnoi, damaged sewer lines have resulted in contaminated water entering the centre's premises.

“Rainwater mixed with sewer runoff from damaged lines has reached the premises of the training centre,” the Arjuna awardee said. “I raised the issue with chief minister Mohan Yadav. Let’s see what happens.”

The deteriorating condition of Malhar Ashram comes against Indore's long association with traditional akhadas, which have produced wrestlers who have competed and won medals at national and international levels.

For Bishnoi and the more than 80 wrestlers training at the centre, however, the immediate challenge is more basic: securing a usable training space where practice does not depend on the weather.