Love in the air for famed Phogat sisters

India’s famed top international women wrestlers from Haryana, the Phogat sisters, are getting married. Their fiances too are acclaimed wrestlers, with roots in Jatland.

For Dronacharya awardee Mahavir Singh Phogat, on whose life the Bollywood flick Dangal was produced, it’s been a nostalgic journey seeing his daughters and nieces grow up as successful grapplers, win medals for India and now finally turn brides one after the other.

Commonwealth medallist and BJP leader Babita Phogat, who recently lost the Assembly elections from Haryana, will be trying the nuptial knot with her boyfriend-turned fiancé Vivek Suhag on Sunday. This week, the couple visited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah and other BJP leaders in New Delhi to invite them for the wedding on December 1.

The youngest of the four Phogat sisters, 21-year Sangeeta Phogat, who is active in the Pro-Wrestling League and has participated in the Asian games, this week got engaged to India’s star wrestler Khel Ratna and Arjuna awardee Bajrang Punia in Haryana’s Sonipat.

Punia has won three gold medals in world championships. The two have been friends for nearly  three years now. Sangeeta Phogat and Bajrang Punia are likely to get married after the Tokyo Olympics next year, family sources said. 

Punia will be taking Rs 1 as Shagun and eight pheras during the marriage, it is learnt.

The eighth phera will be a symbolic gesture to spread the message of governments flagship scheme of Beti Padhao Beti Bachao.

The eldest of Mahavir’s daughters, Geeta Phogat, got married in 2016 to wrestler Pawan Kumar. Geeta won India’s first-ever gold medal in wrestling at the Commonwealth Games and is also the first Indian woman wrestler to have qualified for the Olympic summer games.  

One of the country's top woman grapplers Vinesh Phogat, who is Mahavir Phogat’s niece, married national-level wrestler Somveer Rathi last year. Vinesh is the first Indian woman wrestler to have won a gold medal in Asian games in 2018.

Another top Indian wrestler from Haryana, Sakshi Malik, is married to acclaimed Haryana wrestler Satyawart Kadian.