22-08-2025 12:00:00 AM
Yogeshwar Dutt, Olympian , supported me a lot. The State Govt should provide jobs and support youngsters. Hyderabad has huge potential Devi Singh, 32
In the narrow lanes of Dhoolpet, in a modest house with trophies stacked on a loft, live brothers Thakur Devi Singh and Thakur Kishan Singh—wrestlers who once brought national glory but now struggle in poverty, forgotten by the state.
Coming from a family of Ganesha idol makers, Devi Singh began wrestling in a local akhada before moving to Delhi in 2004, training there until 2014. His career peaked in 2011 with a bronze at the Cadet World Championship (Hungary), gold at the Asian Cadet Championship (Bangkok), and Hind Kesari gold in Hyderabad. He followed with a Junior Asia bronze (Kazakhstan, 2012), Junior National silvers (J&K, 2011; Jharkhand, 2012), and a bronze in Chandigarh (2013).
Earlier, he had clinched Cadet National golds in Punjab (2008) and Haryana (2010), silver in Himachal Pradesh (2009), and All India Rural National gold (2008). Between 2006–2012, he earned six All India golds at Chhatrasal Stadium and became a ten-time Telangana and AP state champion.
His brother Kishan Singh achieved 25 state golds, a bronze at the Asian Cadet Championship (2010, Bangkok), Sub-Junior National medals—bronze (2009, Himachal) and golds (2010, Nainital; 2011, Nagercoil). He later won Hind Kesari bronze (2011) and Andhra Kesari gold (2012).
Despite their decorated careers, the brothers live in hardship. “Our family survives by making idols and borrowing at interest,” said Devi. “Even with international medals, I’m jobless and unsupported. Only Olympian Yogeshwar Dutt helped me when my family couldn’t.”
A wrestler’s diet alone costs around ₹25,000 per month, with equipment far out of reach. “With no government jobs for wrestlers in Telangana, many lose hope and turn to anti-social paths,” he added.
Hyderabad, once home to 450 akhadas during the Nizam era, now has only a few, mostly in Dhoolpet and the Old City, as modernization and neglect have eroded its wrestling heritage.
Former SATS Chairman Dr. Ediga Anjaneya Goud admitted that most akhadas are unaffiliated. “Without policy, associations, or qualified coaches, wrestling—once Telangana’s pride—is vanishing,” he warned.