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{{short description|Indian wrestling coach}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Guru Hanuman
|birth_name = Vijay Pal Yadav
|image =
|image_size =
|caption =
|birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1901|03|15}}
|birth_place = [[Chirawa]], Rajasthan
|death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1999|05|24|1901|03|15}}
|death_place = [[Meerut]], Uttar Pradesh
|occupation =
|website =
}}

'''Guru Hanuman''' actual name '''Vijay Pal Yadav''' (1901–1999) was a legendary [[wrestling]] coach of [[India]] who coached many medal-winning wrestlers. He was awarded the prestigious [[Dronacharya Award]] in 1987, the highest recognition for a sports coach in India, and the [[Padma Shri]] in 1983.

==Early life==
Guru was born as Vijay Pal Yadav on 15 March 1901, in the [[Chirawa]] town of [[Rajasthan]] state. He did not attend school, but began wrestling at the local village [[Pehlwani|akhada]] from an early age. He moved to [[Delhi]] in 1919 to set up a shop near Birla Mills in Subzi Mundi, but instead became a wrestler and soon gained popularity in the field.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/jun/21/guardianobituaries2 Obituary:Guru Hanuman] [[The Guardian]], 21 June 1999</ref><ref name=ind/><ref>[http://www.financialexpress.com/old/ie/daily/19990525/isp25082.html Guru Hanuman no more] [[The Financial Express (India)|Financial Express]], 25 May 1999.</ref>

==Career==
The Indian industrialist [[K. K. Birla]] gave him land to set up [[Akhara]] in Malkaganj, Subzi Mandi ([[Old Delhi]]), thus 'Birla Mills Vyayamshala' was born around 1925 which is being managed by Birla Mills, Kamla Nagar, Delhi, which subsequently known as the Guru Hanuman Akhara.

Both as a wrestler and as a coach, Guru Hanuman was a legend as he created a template for modern Indian wrestling, by mixing traditional Indian wrestling style, ''[[pehlwani]]'' with international wrestling standards. In time he coached almost all of India's [[Freestyle wrestling|freestyle]] international wrestlers.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=v32oHSE5t6cC&pg=PA723&lpg=PA723&dq=Guru+Hanuman&source=bl&ots=W3eXFIg7_N&sig=6eA5jf_gdD_0lUBERjNG9Rmkb2o&hl=en&ei=kztzSouMNtSJkQXT5PGfDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10#v=onepage&q=Guru%20Hanuman&f=false Guru Hanuman] ''Martial arts of the world: an encyclopedia'', by Thomas A. Green. Publisher: ABC-CLIO, 2001. {{ISBN|1-57607-150-2}}. ''Page 723'',</ref> Three of his disciples Sudesh Kumar, Prem Nath and won gold medals at the [[Cardiff]] [[Commonwealth Games]] in 1958. Other notable disciples, [[Satpal (wrestler)|Satpal]] and Kartar Singh won gold medals in [[Asian Games]] in 1982 and 1986 respectively. Eight of his disciples got the highest Indian sporting honour [[Arjuna award]].<ref name=ind>[https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-guru-hanuman-1099327.html Obituary: Guru Hanuman] Kuldip Singh, [[The Independent]], 11 June 1999.</ref>

He was a bachelor and vegetarian. He died in a car crash on 24 May 1999, near [[Meerut]], on his way to [[Haridwar]].<ref>[http://www.indianexpress.com/ie/daily/19990526/ige26134.html City's who's who, disciples pay last respects to Guru Hanuman] [[Indian Express]], 26 May 1999.</ref>

On 9 August 2003, a statue of Guru Hanuman was unveiled at the Kalyan Vihar Sports Stadium, in New Delhi, by former Delhi Chief Minister, [[Madan Lal Khurana]],<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030810/ncr3.htm Guru Hanuman’s statue unveiled] [[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]], 10 August 2003</ref>

==Guru Hanuman Akhara (Birla Mills Vyayamshala)==

Guru Hanuman Akhara is a wrestlers training centre or [[akhara]] in traditional Hindi dialect. Established in 1925 at [[Shakti Nagar, Delhi|Shakti Nagar]], near [[Roshanara Bagh]] in [[North Delhi]] and it soon became the epicentre of Indian wrestling. Situated in the [[Old Delhi]] region, this akhara is said to have produced some of the brightest Indian wrestlers like [[Dara Singh]], Hans Ram (Post India Best Wrestler), [[Satpal Singh|Guru Satpal]], Uddal Singh (national champion and multiple time Haryana state champion) [[Subhash Verma]], [[Virender Singh (Thakran)|Virender Singh]], [[Sushil Kumar (wrestler)|Sushil Kumar]], Yogendra Kumar, Vishal Trikha, Anuj Chowdhary, [[Rajiv Tomar|Rajiv Tomer]], [[Anil Mann (Old)|Anil Mann]], Sujit Mann, Naveen, and Rakesh Goonga. It is the oldest extant wrestling school in India.<ref name=jag/><ref>{{cite web | title = A day in the life of a grappler |work= India Today | url = http://indiatoday.intoday.in/gallery/guru-hanuman-akhara-where-men-wrestle-for-glory/1/5165.html | access-date = 20 November 2014 }}</ref>

The young wrestlers training there are said to have an unshakeable belief that the land is blessed. So much that even when the government offered to provide a larger land with better training facilities, most of the wrestlers refused to shift out of the dilapidated buildings. However, due to lack of space, a modern gymnasium was built by the government at some distance from the akhara which is used by the trainees. The akhara is named after Guru Hanuman and currently trains about 200 wrestlers under the guidance of [[Maha Singh Rao]].{{Citation-needed|date=February 2022}}

In 2014, the wrestling academy was chosen for the 2014 Rashtritya Khel Protsahan Puraskar (RKPP) by Government of India.<ref name=jag>{{cite web | title = Guru Hanuman Akhara chosen for the 2014 Rashtritya Khel Protsahan Puraskar| url = http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/guru-hanuman-akhara-chosen-for-2014-rashtritya-khel-protsahan-puraskar-1408709497-1 |work=Jargran Josh|date= 22 August 2014|access-date = 20 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Award for Hanuman Akhara|work= The Hindu| url = http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-sports/award-for-hanuman-akhara/article6340149.ece |date=22 August 2014| access-date = 20 November 2014 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-4987277.html Guru Hanuman]
*[http://www.kabaddi.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=219 Guru Hanuman Profile]
* [http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?207596 Moses Of The Mats: Guru Hanuman] [[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]]
* [http://wikimapia.org/5809096/Guru-Hanuman-Akhara Guru Hanuman Akhara] [[wikimapia]]

{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Sports}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanuman, Guru}}
[[Category:Indian wrestling coaches]]
[[Category:1901 births]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:Rajasthani people]]
[[Category:Road incident deaths in India]]
[[Category:People from Churu district]]
[[Category:People from Delhi]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Dronacharya Award]]
[[Category:Sport wrestlers from Delhi]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar]]

Guru Hanuman - Revision history

UpdateBot at 13:37, 13 June 2022