Mizoram is known for its love for sports. In 2020, it became the first and only State in India to accord ‘industry’ status to sports. “This is a historic decision since I have not heard any other state to do this,” State’s Sports Minister Robert Romawia Royte had told reporters then. While Mizos are fond of football and have its leagues, efforts are also on to promote indigenous games like Inbuan, which resembles combat-wrestling.
Inbuan wrestling is said to have originated in 1750 and played as a sport after the Mizo tribes migrated from Burma. It is said that it was invented in the village of Dungtland. It is a game of strength, and folklore has it that every newcomer to the village had to demonstrate, when matched against the strongest man in the village.
Popular in villages, this form of wrestling is held in a 16-feet ring of level ground and prohibits kicking or bending the knees. Players must lift their opponent off his feet by means of a cloth belt worn around the waist. If a wrestler breaks any of the rules or his waist belt loosens, he is disqualified. The combatants are generally allowed three rounds of half to one minute each.
The winner is the one who succeeds in lifting his opponent off the ground, using strength, skill and rapid movement of the arms and legs. By using the legs, the aim is to loosen the grip of an opponent’s legs or feet, but kicking is strictly prohibited, explained a wrestler.
