Tickets were on sale for Rs200 near head Ehsanpur and residents of the area said that the event was a roaring success. “People in this area wait for this event every few years and large crowds show up for the occasion,” said one of the event organisers Sahil.
“The animals have been well trained and some of the matches have lasted nearly half an hour with the crowds cheering on throughout,” said Manthar, whose camel won the leading prize at the event.
“I have brought my entire family to see the dungal. This is a traditional sport of the area and I wanted my children to see it,” said Rahim Yar Khan resident Haji Rehan Shams.
The longest wrestling match at the event lasted for over 20 minutes and was won by Manthar’s female camel ‘Bijli’. Following the match Manthal also let several children ride his prize camel and later collected his prize money.
A camel trainer Sadiq said that it took nearly a year to train a camel for the wrestling matches. “We start training the animals quite young. Camel wrestling is a unique sport because it involves a lot of technique,” he said, adding “it isn’t like a dog or cock fight where we just unleash the animals at each other.”
The event started after noon and lasted till the evening. The audience appreciated the wrestling matches and praised the organizers of the event saying that the dungal should be made a regular feature. “Camel wrestling is unique to certain parts of Pakistan and it should be promoted more by the district government,” said a participant Haroon, adding that the district government should oversee the organisation of the event.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 10th, 2011.
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