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"I have been acquainted only with ‘arm twisting,’ not arm wrestling, which is a laudable sport,” mentioned retired Bombay High Court Justice Shahrukh Kathawalla with his trademark tongue in cheek humor. Chief guest at the 5th All Zoroastrian Arm Wrestling Competition, the retired judge was witnessing the event for the first time and thought it was a "wonderful blend of art, science, skill, strength and self-belief… It takes courage to get up on stage and test not just your physical prowess, but also match your mental aptitude and pit your inner strength against someone who could very well put you down in seconds.”
Held under the aegis of the Parsee Gymkhana (PG) on December 3, 2022, 53 Zoroastrians registered to participate in the event. Forty-four males and nine females grappled it out for medals, trophies and cash prizes totalling Rs 1,50,000.
The champions (male and female) of the evening were Hamavand Shroff and Ferzana Daruwala respectively with Zana Doctor and Meherzad Chinoy being the Champion of Champions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At its inception in 2016, there were 58 participants (46 males and 12 females); in 2017 there were 49 (40 males and nine females); 2018 witnessed the highest number of participants — 69 (59 males and 10 females). Sadly, the numbers dropped in 2019 when there were only 34 entries (27 males and seven females).  Due to the pandemic, there was no competition in 2020 and 2021.
The event is judged by officials of the Nagpur-based Maharashtra Arm-Wrestling Association (MAWA) with which PG is registered. There were five officials this year — three from Nagpur and one each from Aurangabad and Poona.
Tracing the history of the sport, Kathawalla referred to Eugene Sandow, the German father of modern body building. Sandow reportedly visited the city in 1904 at the invitation of Sir Dhunjibhoy Bomanji, a rich sethia of that time. "It was Bomanji’s wish that Parsi boys should be as tough and strong as Sandow. Perhaps that’s where the phrase ‘Sandow jévo chhè (He is like Sandow)’ originated to describe a man who was a macho toughie!” Talking about Tehmurasp Sarkari’s gymnasium where young Parsis went to develop their bodies, he mentioned sheepishly that he too had dared to attend the gym but "meekly opted out within a month.”
Addressing the 600 odd crowd who had gathered to witness the event, the legal eagle spoke about the legendary Shahnameh warrior Rustom Pehelwan who unknowingly fought with his son Sohrab whom he had never seen from birth but recognized by the amulet that the young man wore on his arm. "Such stories of courage, valor and physical prowess inspire us and should motivate the younger generation to take forward the Parsi legacy of fitness, wrestling, power lifting and arm wrestling,” he stated. Kathawalla was felicitated with a shawl by Mehli Golvala, president of PG’s managing committee.
Male participants were divided into categories both age and weight wise. The eldest amongst them was an octogenarian. The seniormost female was 56 years old. The youngest contestant in both categories was aged 12 years. While three participants came from Ahmedabad and one from Dahanu, 49 arm wrestlers were from the host city. Women participants were only divided age wise, for the men there were many categories — juniors (under 18), seniors (under 40 years; 80 kg, 100 kg and 100+ kg), master (41 to 50 years), grand master (50 to 60 years) and superclass (over 60 years; under and over 80 kg).   
Though lodging was offered to the outstation participants, "they all chose their own accommodation,” mentioned Rustom Jasoomoney, a Gymnasium Committee member of PG in response to queries sent by Parsiana.
Guest of honor for the evening, formula racer Jehan Daruvala was unable to attend; he had to be in the United Kingdom to be inducted in the Mahendra Team. His message of apology for not being there in person was conveyed via a short video clip in which he encouraged all participants to do their best. "Give your 100% to the game… and in whatever you do. But also remember to have fun,” he said.
Tribute was paid to four past arm wrestlers who perished due to Covid-19. A video screen displayed the visages of Burzin Parabia, Yezdi Panthaky, Cyrus Pooniwala and Ardeshir Khusroshahi. A minute’s silence was observed as a mark of respect to the departed.
The grip
As their names were called out for the competition, the pehelwans (strong men/women) walked up to the specially constructed stage to grip each other’s hands; one’s palm touching the other’s with thumb knuckles visible, the other hand gripping their respective hand pegs. The table, equipped with elbow and touch pads with hand grips was specially made for the event. While the arm wrestlers battled it out to see who could pin their opponents to the table, the crowd shouted words of encouragement for their favorite participant. The audience resounded with chanting and calling of names.
A welcome break for weary arms and sore shoulders was a show of "body beautiful” by Jehan Irani, the 22-year-old who had recently won three golds and one silver in the ICN (I Compete Natural), the Indian chapter of the body building and fitness competition. Toned body, bronzed and oiled for the display, Irani wooed the audience twisting and turning, flexing his muscles to show off his chiselled physique. He was felicitated with a shawl by the organizers. 
The sport involving a correlation of physical strength and size, participants compete in weight classifications to ensure that matches are fair. Arm wrestling puts substantial stress on the upper arms to a degree experienced in few other physical activities. Common injuries are fractures of the humerus (long bone located in the upper arm, between the shoulder and elbow joints), shoulder trauma, muscle strain and biceps rupture. Despite primarily being a sport of strength, arm wrestling has a psychological aspect, with players pushing themselves into peak condition as well as trying to intimidate opponents.
Gripping each others’ hands whilst placing their elbows on the table, the goal is to pin the opposite person’s hand onto the touch pad. Two fouls mean disqualification with the opponent winning the bout.