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Indian wrestling fails Jadhav's legacy
Published on Thu, Jul 17, 2008 at 20:23, Updated at Fri, Jul 18, 2008 in 
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DISTANT MEMORIES: KD Jadhav won Independent India's first individual medal in the 1952 Olympics.
Other stories in the section:
Khel Ratna conferred on Dhoni, Arjuna to 11 others
His father Paan Singh received the award on his behalf.
New Delhi: At the Helsinki Olympics in 1952 wrestler Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav etched his name into sporting immortality winning Independent India's first individual medal.
A resident of Karad in Maharashtra, Jadhav didn't have money to go to Helsinki but a benefactor helped him out and he was on his way.
He took part in the 57 kg freestyle bantamweight category and lost only to the eventual gold and silver medallists.
"He was not an egoist. He was avery down to earth man and mixed freely with everyone," Rajaram Devalekar, Jadhav's friend, says.
His medals are testament to Jadhav's wrestling skills. He continued to be an inspiration to fellow wrestlers but was sadly forgotten by the country.
He rose to be an assistant commissioner of police but wrestling was always his first love.
Jadhav passed away in 1984 in a road accident and finally the government woke up and awarded him the Arjuna Award for life time achievement in 2000, nearly 16 years after he was gone.
But Indian wrestling despite a rich heritage has never touched those heights ever again.
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Had he been a North Indian wrestler, they would have given him a Bharat Ratna way back in 1952! Any
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