When 'TATA' Meant Hello For Indian Wrestling

Navroze Dinyar Dhondy Dec 09, 2021

Sometimes, things happening backstage, are more important than things happening on stage. This is when history is scripted.

On the 1st of August 2018, at a packed hall at St. Regis in downtown Mumbai, Tata Motors firmly held the hand of Indian wrestling with a sincere, long-term commitment.

On stage the scene may have looked like any other ‘sponsorship announcement’ but it was far from that.

As soon as the formalities on stage were over, Girish Wagh, Executive Director, Tata Motors walked up to me and Ashish Chadha and said, “I would like to meet the Wrestlers for a discussion. At Tata, we want a close relationship with the individuals as much as with the Boards or Federations.”

And what a detailed discussion it was. The wrestlers all opened up, sharing quite candidly what the need of the hour was. Their exposure to more international competition, availability of international coaches, training needs, diet, etc. They all spoke their mind and were quite candid about the way Tata Motors could help. The team took detailed notes. Not for the sake of just jotting down points, but actually taking action on each of them.

As Girish said, “Humne aap ka haath pakad liya hai to poora saath denge” (We have held your hand and we will give you complete support). A commitment in spirit and letter, which Tata Motors has fulfilled in its first three years of the partnership with WFI and then further strengthened with the recent announcement of another 3 years of a deep affair!

This has led to Tata Motors supporting the WFI in creating a Centre of Excellence for Wrestling, where the facility would host the athletes, provide quality accommodation, training facilities, support staff in the form of coaches (Indian and International) and dietary consultants who would help the athletes understand the role of nutrition and nourishment.

“For the Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles business sports such as Wrestling, and Kabaddi fit the bill. They sync perfectly with our core Target Group, not just in certain markets but all across India, as both sports share common attributes of power, strength, style, and durability. This seamlessly overlaps with the commercial vehicles brand strengths too”, said Girish Wagh while he replied to a journalist who tried to question him on the choice of sport.

Over the last five years, besides Wrestling Tata Motors took Kabaddi as a very important platform, first with the Tata Yodha – UP Yoddha partnership, then extended it with the overall sport as a Central sponsor of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). The success of the sport has seen unprecedented viewership, where the PKL is the second most-watched sport after the IPL. Now that’s quite a remarkable turnaround for a humble sport like kabaddi.

Girish further added that Tata Motors association with Kabaddi and Wrestling is perfectly in sync as both the sports are “home-grown” just like the brand TATA.

Girish believes that Homegrown sports like Wrestling, Kabaddi, Kho Kho etc. would become stronger and more engaging sports, that would give the other established sports like cricket, football and hockey a surprise in the coming years!

The investments made in 2018 paid rich dividends for the country as the Wrestlers came back with 3 Olympic medals this year! The highest from any sport or discipline at the Tokyo Olympics.

Many may not know that in 1919 no Official Indian Olympics Association existed. It was Dorabji Tata, the elder son of Tata Group founder Jamsetji Tata, who personally decided to finance the first Indian team for the Antwerp Olympics in 1920. And that's how India sent its first team. And guess what? The six-member team had four athletes and two wrestlers!

Possibly life came full circle, as TATA meant Hello to a whole new generation of wrestlers, fuelling their dreams and their passions, firing it with a legacy more than 150 years old.

*The author is Navroze D Dhondy, Founder and Managing Director – Creatigies Communications