CHENNAI : There was pin-drop silence at Kathir College of Arts and Science. One could only see some lips move as elders in the audience said a silent prayer for Sushmitha Ramkumar as she climbed up the rope that was suspended from a height of 16 feet. The 16-year-old swiftly reached the top and started performing yogasanas. The crowd erupted in a cheer as she performed poses like padmasana, paschimottanasana, nithrasana on the rope for three hours and created three records — Kalam Book of Record, Bharat World Record and Wonder World Record on December 29. Wiping away the beads of sweat that had formed not because of complex moves but the constant clicks by lensmen, Sushmitha sits down for a chat with CE.
Sushmitha is a class 11 student at ARB International School, Pollachi. She started practising rope mallakhambh at the age of five. “I have been doing yoga from my childhood and my body is very flexible. During my secondary schooling in Nachiyar Vidhyalaya School, Pollachi, every student had to choose two sports of their choice as part of the curriculum. So, I chose rope mallakhambh and football. My coach K Ganesh, a rope mallakhambh sportsman taught me the sport,” she says.
Sushmitha took a break from the sport in class 8. “During my childhood, I admired my school seniors who performed this sport. Taking inspiration from them, I practised it for eight years and took part in a few competitions like national level rope mallakhambh competition in 2015. My practice sessions were four days a week, one hour each in the morning and evening. Later, I took a break from the sport and practised rifling, horse riding and skating to keep myself fit. Knowing about my talent in rope mallakhambh, one of my neighbours suggested that I create a record and so I decided to give it a try,” she says.
When she got back to the sport, she began practising at home for just 20 days. “I tied a rope at the corridor of my house and used to practice for more than six hours a day. As I was physically fit, I could perform it easily. I practised 40 asanas holding each for five minutes,” she shares.One needs concentration, confidence and physical fitness to perform rope mallakhambh. “Overcoming the physical pain and maintaining the energy for three hours was challenging. But, being a girl from a rural background, I feel proud to have created this record,” she says.
Her coach Ganesh is a proud man. Talking about her achievement, he says, “She is a fast learner and a hard-working student. When she was a child, I used to bribe her with chocolates to perform rope mallakhambh. Now, she has taken the sport to the next level. Though it is a traditional sport, it is not well-known in Tamil Nadu. Her record will make it famous.”