While Pa. Ranjith’s Sarpatta Paramabari shed light on the boxers of north Chennai, the wrestlers of Royapettah failed to get adequate attention and urbanisation probably erased the sport from the area completely, even as this specific kind of wrestling went out of fashion.
Gotha, as it was known, is a Urdu word for wrestling. Tamil scholar and trade unionist Thiru. Vi. Kalyanasundaram, popularly known as Thiru. Vi. Ka., had written in detail about Gothas in his memoir. The expression ‘Gothavila Erankalama?’ (Shall we fight?) is quite common across Tamil Nadu.
“There are many wrestling grounds (Gothas) in Royapettah and important among them were the one in Kanni Thottam, one in Ayya Mudali Street, one in the coconut grove in Ambattan Lane and the fourth one in the corner of Kolakkaran Thoppu,” writes Thiru. Vi. Ka., who was also an expert in wrestling.
