Harshini J. Karunaratne | Pehlwani: wrestling in the sands
15722
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Pehlwani: wrestling in the sands

Location

Dubai, UAE

Date

November 30, 2015

Category
Photography
About This Project

Every Friday in Dubai, before the evening prayers, a group of Pakistani men gather to wrestle. The men assemble in a circle and take their seats, perching on small slabs of rock so their kurtas don’t get dirty. Stragglers shuffle in and form a standing ring around the crowd. As the sun sinks lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the dirt, the group grows quiet. They are spectators awaiting their spectacle.

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And then, two wrestlers, the pehlwan, emerge.

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This series was published as a photo essay in the Spring 2017 issue of Al Noor: The Boston College Undergraduate Middle Eastern Studies Journal. Read the full text here.

 

A selection of prints was on display at PLAY, a group exhibition at Tashkeel in Dubai that ran from 13th March to 24th April, 2019.