Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat launches The Great Khali special India focused Pro-Wrestling Talent Programme

Further, it was announced that the programme, promoted by Khali’s CWE Academy, would be kick-started, in February 2016, with a two-day spectacle of International standard fights to be held in Uttarakhand in association with specialist sports and brand management company ‘Integrated Brand Solutions (IBS)’ and supported by Harish Rawat’s youth outreach initiative ‘#CM4Youth’.

Commenting on the initiative, Harish Rawat said “I have always said that the youth is not just our future but also our present and in a young country and state like ours their development and betterment is of prime importance to any ruling dispensation. I was really impressed by what Khali is attempting to do with this very popular modern day version of one of our most traditional sports ‘Wrestling’. I am really happy that Khali agreed to my suggestion of kick-starting this initiative from Uttarkhand, in association with my youth outreach programme #CM4Youth, as well as looking at the state as one of the major talent sources for his programme."

“Pro-wrestling is very popular with the Uttarakhandi youth and Khali’s own story of his rise from being a very ordinary worker from the hills to rising to being amongst the world’s greatest pro-wrestlers ever through single minded focus, hard work and absolute dedication is nothing short of inspirational. I am very confident that this initiative of Khali will not just go a long way in creating additional excitement and awareness about the sport amongst our youth but also offers them a brilliant platform to get recognized and chart their own success story in the world of pro-wrestling,” added Harish Rawat.

Launched at a special themed media event, at an upmarket New Delhi hotel, presided over by Shri Ranjit Rawat and Shri Haripal Rawat both conveners of #CM4Youth, Amardeep Singh the CEO of IBS and leading sporting luminary Jaspal Rana, in addition to  Harish Rawat and The Great Khali, the programme will focus on aggressively promoting the sport in India as well as scouting and developing pro-wrestling talent from across the country.

Commenting on the reason behind this initiative of his, The Great Khali said: “I, Dilip Singh Rana, have come a long way since my humble beginning as an ordinary stone cutter in the hills. A simple response to a chance question by a Punjab police inspector who passed me one day while I was working along a road, changed my life for ever. He asked me why was I working so hard even after my shift was completed. My response that unlike others I had a bigger stomach to fill and thus needed to work harder than the rest landed me a job in Punjab police. For the first time in my life when I got my second salary there I could actually buy a TV, a decision that changed my life forever – I not just got introduced to wrestling but decided to make it my passion and profession."

“My journey was not at all simple to say the least. Having gone through all the trials and tribulations of setting out on a journey to conquer the world of pro-wrestling with only my ambition in hand and then being able to rise to the zenith at the world platform, I was pretty sure right from the beginning that I would return to my country and help create the right platform and facilities for my fellow Indians to also make it big in this sport. When I met Harish Rawat ji, who I also discovered started as a simple grassroots worker and rose to his current position on his own merit and hard work, I could not resist asking him to help me in this endeavor of mine. His instant positive response without any pre-conditions and his telling me that this is a very good initiative for the youth and should be supported in whatever way possible pleasantly surprised me and went straight to my heart. I am very grateful to him and his entire CM4Youth team,” added Khali.

 

The fights which are scheduled for early February 2016, will feature both international as well as India pro-wrestlers including The Great Khali himself.