PUDUCHERRY: On the day of Pongal celebrations (January 14), when the enthusiasm towards reviving lost links of tradition runs mostly high, George Bush K from Puducherry was in the thick of achieving a new record to exploit the attention in its entirety to raise awareness of a traditional fitness method — using an Indian club. Swinging Karlakattai (Indian club) for 12,128 times, continuously for 24 hours, the 31-year-old broke a new record, which he considered a significant step in his pursuit to contemporise Indian club workouts among boutique fitness crowd.
A tax consultant by profession, George also runs Karla Yoga, a fitness academy that teaches workout routines which are an amalgamation of Indian club training with poses inspired by yoga, tailored to hold its weight against modern fitness regimes. Amid his morning fitness session, George recalled the relevance of Indian club workouts — primarily developed to strengthen arms and torso for wrestling — a common sight in almost every household in the country until two decades ago. “It was our traditional fitness method to maintain health,” he said.
Karlakattai has a rich and ancient history, he said, tracing back to its original use as a hunting weapon. “The tool evolved into the gada used by kings, and is seen in the hands of Gods like Hanuman, which is why we worship Hanuman every time we begin practice,” he said.
With the fitness industry opting for acquisitive trends to cater to the needs of a generation demanding tall results, George expressed that embracing the time-tested regime could be beneficial, both monetarily and in the long run. “People who want to be professional bodybuilders go to gymnasiums, dedicate hours of their time. But Karlakattai can be used at home, and is especially advantageous for those who cannot hit the gym due to time or financial constraints,” he said, adding that although dumbbells for weight training are widely prevalent nowadays, some are returning to Indian club workout despite a rise in modern training methods.
“Many assume the Indian club is solely used to train shoulders and for upper body workouts,” George said. However, experimenting beyond the limited set of 4-5 workouts, he has developed innovative Indian club routines, blending the essence of yoga principles, coming up with a comprehensive and balanced workout regime. George had his light-bulb moment when he came across a video in 2018, which he said was an “eye-opener”, making him realise the potential of the Indian club. Though he grasped the germ of the idea, he said it was not until the pandemic lockdown, which allowed him to pore over resources online, that he developed it into a comprehensive technique.
“Though I had always been conscious of fitness, I did not realise the potential of the equipment lying around in my house since my childhood,” he added.
In 2021, George began training others, with several non-Indian nationals among his first batch of students. Today, seven of his students run Karlakattai training centres in Bengaluru, Singapore, and Malaysia. George also conducts free introductory and training classes in schools. “We recognised the value of Yoga only after foreigners embraced it. The same is happening with Karlakattai. It has always been a part of indigenous, traditional martial arts like silambam, kalaripayattu and kusthi warm-ups. I’m doing my part to ensure it reaches the next generation,” he said.
Expressing distress over the declining importance of physical fitness in school routines, George said the drill sessions we used to have after morning prayers have completely disappeared. “We also forgot traditional workouts like meipadam (an ancient wellness system), which focused on body movement and bodybuilding. The use of samtola (Indian barbell), ilavatta kal (a sport involving lifting of heavy spherical stones), pidikkal, and kai urulai are becoming a rarity,” said George, who, through his consistent efforts, has been swinging a tradition back into the modern-day fitness culture.
(Edited by Thamizhamudhan Sekar)